


Zootopia: Origins

by ubernoner



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Gaslighting, Gen, Graphic Description of Corpses, Minor Character Death, Religious Conflict
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:41:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28481076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ubernoner/pseuds/ubernoner
Summary: Where do we come from? Where do we go? Answering these questions can be a lifelong calling, or a murderous obsession.A series of robberies of cultural artifacts sends Nick and Judy on a hunt across Zootopia and beyond.
Relationships: Judy Hopps & Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps/Original Male Character(s), Nick Wilde/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 58
Kudos: 18





	1. Harvey the Rabbit

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all this is yet another AU unconnected to any of my other works. This story will tackle ideas such as emotional abuse and religious persecution. If this isn't your cup of tea, you have been warned.

An ermine had just finished applying the crew’s signature to their latest job when the security lights came up and alarms started blaring. He frantically scurried after a badger, who was carrying the bulk of their haul. The Whitepaw estate security team was rounding the main house when the two thieves caught up with a rabbit who was waiting casually at the now locked wrought iron gate. They slid to a halt as a mammal on the outside, a squirrel, lit a small brick he had attached to the middle of the gate. Within moments, the center of the security gate was a pile of molten slag. All four rushed to a waiting panel truck. They were off down the road before security was halfway across the lawn.

“Woop!” the badger removed his mask. “That got dicey there. I thought you said the security would be off for 10 minutes?” He pointed a claw at the rabbit who was gazing intently at a medallion in his paw.

The rabbit waved him off. “I said it would stay off long enough to get the job done.” He put the heirloom in a bag with his heavily modified laptop. “It’s not my fault you were greedy and slow.” He ignored the growling mammal across from him.

He looked around at the rest of the crew. “Like I said earlier, Mr. Shadow only has two more jobs for us, then we’re done. Let’s find somewhere to strip the truck’s markings, then you can divy up the spoils however you see fit.” The crew started cheering as Mr. Spark absently patted his computer bag. “I’ve got everything I want right here. 

...

Nick and Judy rushed through the precinct doors with just one minute until roll-call, both winded by their mad dash from their respective apartments. Clawhauser gave them a desperate wave as he severely tapped his wrist-watch. They had just managed to drag themselves into their shared seat when Lt. Higgins marched into the Bullpen. “Room; Aten-hut!”

Bogo himself swept into the room looking sterner than usual. He noted the silence from his personal peanut-gallery of Nick Wilde. He counted his blessings that the vulpine officer was too winded to crack wise just yet. “At ease. First item; as some of you may have noticed,” he looked pointedly at Wilde and Hopps, “the ZTA is on strike. No busses, no trams. This means that A) you will need to make accommodations for increased traffic, and B) we’re going to be seeing a spike in traffic related incidents.”

“Sir,” Wade Snarlov stood from his seat at parade rest, “does this have to do with the budget cuts?”

The Chief huffed. “Normally I’d tell you that it isn’t your problem, but today it is. Yes, the city’s budget cuts to support funding of the Chaffee High Altitude Launch Dirigible-”

“Fluffing cloud-nine pipe dream.” McHorn rumbled from his seat, earning a scowl from Judy.

Bogo tipped his glasses down and leveled a flat stare at the rhino. “Whatever your opinion on the matter, financial support of the International Space program is a Federal mandate. The city has had to make hard choices; be thankful we haven’t been one of them.” He refocused on the room. “That being said, expect a lot of sour grapes today. There are also three protests scheduled. Snarlov, Clawson and Fangmeyer; your teams are on crowd control. Higgins has the particulars.” The three officers stood and headed over to the hippo. “Anderson, Trunkaby, McHorn; Public Safety has asked for Flag-Mammals at Lion’s Gate Plaza. Go see Darlene in Traffic Management.” Nick and Judy could both feel the looks being directed their way as the three megafauna made their way out.

Finally, the Chief looked at his two smallest officers. “Hopps, Wilde; Financial Forensics thinks they have a lead on the ‘Harvey Gang’. Head over to Criminalistics. Wilde,” Nick quirked his ears in attention, “business first, flirt with your vixen friend later.” His ears and tail both flagged as Judy chuckled and hopped down.

“If you don’t mind my asking sir,” the look Bogo directed said he _did_ in fact mind, “why are Carrots and I being sent instead of someone more experienced?”

Bogo chuffed. “Because you’ll be heading to Lemming Brothers afterwards, and you are the only two who can fit inside the corporate offices. Trotski, Grizzoli;...”

Nick glanced at his partner as they strolled to the Criminalistics wing. “Alright Fluff, what’s got your ears in a knot?”

Judy glanced over at her partner. “Later Nick; let’s focus on the job for now.”

The two swept into the technical section and made a beeline for financial forensics. “Mandy, my beloved, shining star of my evening sky; would that I could sing your praises but alas, I am ordered to refrain from flirting.” Nick flourished near one of the cubicles.

A short giggle was followed by a white tipped scarlet tail twitching an invitation. “You mean we might actually get some work done for a change? However shall I cope? Morning Judy.”

The two entered the vixen’s cubicle. The two computer monitors showed a combination of banking documents and timelines, while the cubicle walls were festooned with arboreal kitch and pictures; most were of her and her family, though some showed her and Nick at an alpine campground overlooking the Meadowlands. The vixen herself was the picture of elegant professionalism in a two piece forest green pencil skirt and blazer and ivory blouse. 

Judy waited for a moment, then glanced at Nick who simply stood there with a sappy grin on his face. Both she and Mandy gave him a slightly arch, if indulgent, look.

Nick looked back and forth innocently. “What? Bogo said not to flirt, not that I couldn’t be mesmerized.”

Mandy rolled her eyes and grinned. “If you’re going to insist on being moonstruck, then head on down to the breakroom and bring your goddess coffee. I got stuck on the Freemont interchange and didn’t have time to hit a Caribou Coffee before my shift started.” She spun her chair and faced the computer monitors while bapping his snout with the tip of her tail.

Judy stifled a giggle at the sappy look on his face as he left. “You really shouldn’t encourage him at work.”

Mandy smirked over her shoulder. “Bogo said he couldn’t flirt, not the other way around. Anyway, down to business.” She brought up a picture of a stylized rabbit head with the words, ‘Harvey was here!’ spray-painted on a white wall. “I’ve been working with cyber-crime on the ‘Harvey Gang’. We think we’ve got a pattern of activity and it points to the Lemming Brothers branch on West Furlong Ave. being the next target.”

Judy looked at some of the notes on the desk and monitor. “They’re spoofing the phone system? Is that why the silent alarms and fire alarms never go off?”

“That’s what it looks like. And since we think the phones are one of their lines of entry, we can’t discount the office lines being tapped. So...”

Nick sauntered into the cubicle, three steaming coffee cups in paw. “So we have to deliver the bad news in person.” He handed out the cups and there was silence for a moment. “Do we have anything on their MO we can use to convince the LB branch manager that they’re the next target and should let us help?” He joined his partner in looking over Mandy’s work.

She scowled at the screen. “Other than their use of Thermite to cut through things, no. The Harveys are erratic but thorough. They’ve hit a jewelry store, a private estate, and two small banks. The hauls have been decent, but-”

Judy squinted at one of the screens “They only go after what’s in the safes; they ignore display cases and open cash. Anything in particular they take?” 

Mandy shook her head. “Once they’re in a safe or vault, they take everything they can carry. Highest value haul was Wormington’s Jewelry store, highest volume was Port-Royal Savings and Trust.”

Nick looked at the evidence. “You have it listed in value. What’s the timeline?” Mandy clicked one of the tabs. “Okay, so Furston Institution for Savings was the first one hit, then Wormington’s, then Port Royal, and last was Whitepaw manor. Huh.” He rubbed his jaw for a moment until Judy’s foot drumming brought him back and he saw the expectant looks in hers and Mandy’s eyes. “Okay, just a thought here: Furston’s is old school, turn of the century. It’s got a big steel vault and mechanical alarm system; their Barks Security for the building is the newest thing there. Niel Wormington is nearly as old school, but he has an electronic cypher-lock safe for the highest value items. Port Royal is a newer bank, but it’s pretty bog standard as far as bank security goes. The Whitepaws have a Den Connected Wireless Home security system, onsite mammal security, and a biometric safe. You said there was a pattern of activity?”

“Yup.” She brought up another evidence sheet. “Unsolicited ‘tech-support’ calls, and unregistered line mammals nearby all four locations within a week of being hit. Digital monitoring saw LB got spoofed yesterday. As I said, that and the pyrotechnics are the only consistent factors.”

Judy cocked her head. “When did you guys get a Warrant for blanket searches?”

Nick and Mandy both snorted. “When a City judge’s house got robbed. Anyway, what are you getting at Nick?”

The tod stood up. “There’s a second pattern: escalation.” He pointed at the timeline. “Each job has been more challenging than the last, and with two of the heists being goods you can’t really fence, plus the signature at each job it’s clearly not about the money.”

Judy bit her knuckle for a moment. “For the challenge then? LB’s Furlong Ave. branch is also the city’s gold depository, so it’s the toughest security in the city.”

“Second toughest.” The two beat cops looked at Mandy. “The stacks in the Metropolitan Museum have a couple of art pieces worth as much as all the bullion in LB, and one or two cultural artifacts that are genuinely priceless.” She looked at Nick. “You really think they’d try?”

Nick grit his jaw. “If we miss them at Furlong, we’ll need to be ready for their next big hit. Also, you and Cybercrime might spot some early casing now that you know what to look for.”

Mandy got a predatory grin on her muzzle, then printed off everything she had for Nick and Judy. “You two head out; I’ll talk to Benny about expanding our search.” She looked at Judy. “You and Harry still up for going to Hutch with me and Nick tomorrow night? Are we finally going to meet your own personal ‘Harvey the Rabbit’?”

Judy rolled her eyes. “Yes, you’ll both _finally_ meet Harold. I prepped him as best I can for dealing with you two.” With evidence in paw, Nick and judy headed to the locker room to change before going out to the bank.

...

Stuart Lytle had risen through the ranks of Lemming Brothers from a lowly teller to his current position of Branch Manager by a combination of hard work and instinct. Right now his instincts were at war with themselves, as one set told him the fox in front of him had to have an ulterior motive, while the other set told him to trust the rabbit. “I’m sorry, are you saying someone is going to rob _a_ Lemming Brothers Bank or _this_ Lemming Brothers Bank?” His attention shifting between the fox and the rabbit sitting next to him.

Nick kept a calm demeanor. “Our intelligence indicates this branch is the target. We’re unsure of the timeframe, but it will be soon.”

Stuart’s fur puffed in agitation. “And you came here out of uniform rather than calling this in _why_?”

Judy presented the current evidence. “We believe that your phones may have been compromised. We don’t want to tip our paw to the culprits by making a call they could trace, or showing up to their intended target in uniform.”

The suited field mouse squinted at the two across from him. “You _want_ them to try and rob the bank?!”

“No sir,” Nick smoothly interjected, “we want to catch them in the act so we can throw the book at them. As the only intel we have to date is their MO and the evidence that this is their next target, we have no real way to pursue these mammals yet. We are confident that we know which vault is their target-”

Stuart waved a paw in frustration and slumped in his chair. “Yes, yes, they’re coming for the depository vault; it’s the only one worth breaking into.” He pinched his eyes shut for a moment, then buzzed his secretary. “Gloria, can you come in here? And bring your cell phone with you.” He then looked at the two infront of him. “I hope you will understand if I verify this with your superiors. Then I’ll have to talk to Corporate to see how they want to move forward.”

...

Once their bonafides were confirmed, the regional head of security for Lemming Brothers was more than willing to allow the police to conduct a sting. Nick and Judy headed back to the Precinct to update the Chief.

Bogo finished looking over what they had written up. “Alright. I’ll put together a stakeout team; you’re on it. Head home and get some rest, then be back here at 8:30 tonight for mission prep and brief.”

The duo saluted and headed out, with Nick pointing himself towards the Criminalistics wing. “Since I have the afternoon, figure I’ll treat Mandy to lunch. Wanna come with?”

Judy shook her head. “Nah, I’ll give you two some time to get the schmaltz out of your system before tomorrow night.”

Nick waved and headed off, while Judy pulled out her phone and headed for home. “Harry? It’s Judy.”

- _Hey Jude!_ \- Judy rolled her eyes and smiled at Harry’s sing-song greeting. - _What’s up? You normally don’t call during work hours._ -

“I’ve got the afternoon to myself and wanted to know if you were available for lunch?”

There was a momentary pause. - _Sure, I can make time. Wanna hit the Bistro on Shetland and Newcross?-_

“That sounds great! I think I can get there in half an hour. See you!”

“See you there Judy!” Harry, a tall brown rabbit, hung up and looked around his apartment in thought. He glanced at the various religious artifacts adorning the walls and shelves, both Foundationist and Celestine, then nodded. “Yeah, I got time.” He removed a windbreaker from his workbench, revealing a telephone repair and installation Butt-set, a partially dismantled laptop computer, and an architectural drawing of a bank.


	2. Bank Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zootopia's finest and the Harvey Gang go head to head in a racce for the prize in the Lemming Brother's vault, but what is the real prize?

Harry strolled into the elephant scale storage unit in the Canyonlands whistling a tune. The inside had been converted into a combination warehouse and auto shop, a perfect base of operations for him and his crew, who were giving a small-mammal stake-bed truck the final touches, marking it as a DPW sewer maintenance truck. “Evening boys! How are we looking tonight?”

The ermine in the paint booth stepped out and took off his paint mask while a pygmy pig continued putting on the last touches. “Like Shit, Water and Trash, Mr. Spark. Once Mr. Glass and I pop the sewer cap, nobody’s gonna want to come near us.”

“Excellent Mr. Wheels!” Harry’s ears all but vibrated in excitement. “Got word from Mr. Shadow; he says we have one more heist after this job and then it’s off to paradise!”

“Yeah, and when do we get to meet the mysterious ‘Mr. Shadow’?” a North American badger groused from where he was setting up repelling gear.

Harry gave a dismissive sidelong glance. “You don’t, Mr. Line; you know that already. Mr. Shadow likes his anonymity in case one of you screws up and gets caught.”

“Don’t you mean one of us, Mr. Spark?” asked a large black squirrel working at a table covered in strange powders, wires, batteries and model rocket engines.

Harry turned to fully face the crew. “No, Mr. Torch, I meant one of you because  _ I’d _ never be so sloppy as to get caught.” He stalked over to Mr. Line’s workbench and grabbed a dark Nomex body-suit. “Kit up. We’re going tonight.”

...

Nick and Judy stood inside the SWAT command vehicle monitoring the LB Furlong Branch. Nick lazily rocked back and forth on his heels. He heard Judy’s teeth grinding as Officer McHorn left the van after reporting in to Sgt. Wade Anderson. “Sooooo. It’s later now Carrots. What’s got you ready to re-enact your famous Academy Takedown on McHorn?”

Judy glanced at him puzzled for a moment, then remembered the morning brief. She sighed and looked at the roof of the van. “It’s his attitude from earlier today. I have a childhood friend who’s in the space program  _ because _ of the potential for the Chaffee Space Launch platform, so his attitude hit home a little. I know he’s a cradle-to-grave Foundationist, but just dismissing the space program like that? It’s... It’s old-me small minded.”

Nick stopped rocking. “How do you know it’s religious and not something more practical?”

“We go to the same Cavern here in the city. He talks at colation,  _ loudly _ . Anyway I thought you’d be more excited, being baptized Celestine and all.” 

Nick chuffed a laugh. “I’m way too old for the Space program, so no pipe dreams about being an astronaut, and while Mama Wilde may have baptized me under the Star and Spire, I don’t attend Constellation services.”

Judy turned to face her partner. “Oh come on Nick, don’t be a Humbug. Church is about community and philosophy and-”

Nick jammed his paws in his pockets. “And Tithes and dogma and false piety. You know I didn’t turn to hustling just because of the Ranger Scouts. Mom was faithful; gave tithe even when she couldn’t afford it, dragged me to Constellation every full and new moon. Prattled all the empty promises of the Book of Celestines but when we were dirt poor, when she worked herself into a hospital bed; where was the Constellation then? Where was the Celestine promise of ‘rising high on purity and faith’, or ‘justice shining down from above’?”

Nick stopped and got his temper under control. “No, twenty years on the street taught me how to spot a scam, and they don’t get much bigger than the church.” 

He gave a wan grin as a sympathetic paw rested on his arm. He then noticed the less than subtle looks they were getting from Wade Anderson. He coughed and freed his arm. “Never have I ever; wanted crooks to just get on with it.” 

Judy snorted a laugh while Sgt. Anderson glanced at his vulpine coworker. “Got a hot date tonight?” The polar bear arched his brows. 

Judy glanced between several monitors, one of which was tracking a DPW team surreptitiously trying to reconnect the bank with the phone system. “Not tonight Wade. We’re all going Hutch tomorrow so I think he means he doesn’t want to be doing this every night this week. Who are they?” Judy pointed to a screen showing a small mammal stakebed truck just pulling up on the edge of one of the monitors.

Wade got on the radio. “Base, Command; confirm DPW on West Furlong, north side.”

There was a thirty second delay. “ _ Command, Base; negative. Your Linemammals are the only active work crew.” _

“They’re here!” Judy all but jumped in excitement. “Let’s-”

Wade put a restraining paw on her head. “Simmer down Hopps. They’re on a sewer cap, and those don’t connect to the bank for security reasons.” He nodded to the two-mammal team diligently going back and forth while doing nothing. “They’ll be a spotting team, which means our perps are just about here.” He picked up the radio. “Allcall command, 10-35 standby 10-90.” He received acknowledgements of a Major Crime and to prepare for a Bank Alarm from all teams. 

Another set of screens lit up showing the bank interior, indicating the phone lines were reconnected. “Now we wait for the main attraction.” Nick quipped while watching the bank lobby feed.

...

Harry watched as Mr. Line finished setting up the Zip-line rig leading to the bank roof. Once the badger gave the thumbs up, he keyed a cheap but powerful walkie-talkie. “Mr. Glass, how do we look?” 

“ _ All clear here Mr. Spark. Some chatter on the scanner but no Blues in sight.” _

Harry sneered. “Good. You and Mr. Wheels stay there for 15 minutes, then meet us on Price St.” He nodded to Mr. Line and Mr. Torch and all three zipped to the roof. Once there, Harry bypassed the window alarm on the skylight.

“Why do you even bother?” Mr. Line groused, “You said the phone lines were disabled.”

“That attitude right there,” Harry stood as he finished his work, “is why I believe  _ you _ would be caught and not me.” He gestured to the skylight. The badger sullenly opened the window and secured the rappelling gear.

...

Nick gawped at one of the vehicle monitors as a three mammal team in full body-stockings rappelled into the bank atrium. “Well that seems a little excessive.”

“Only because we’re expecting them Slick.” Judy hummed in contemplation. “Between the repelling and the phone cutout, as long as they left the same way they came in we’d likely be stumped as to how they did it. Now Sgt.?”

Anderson shook his head. “I want them to at least get down to the vault before we storm.”

Nick cocked his head to the side. “Why? It’s not like they get more guilty the farther in they go.” Judy nodded her head in agreement.

The diminutive pair watched as a flurry of expressions crossed the polar bear’s muzzle until it settled on ‘pedantic’. “Quick command lesson you two: always minimize the potential for injury, casualty, or escape. I want them deeper in the bank because it puts them farther from the rappelling lines, as well as the lobby and office doors and windows. Once they’re on the vault level, that’s it; they’re trapped.”

Nick and Judy both looked humbled and appreciative of the insight. Their own activities in the past had almost always been last minute/by-the-fur-of-their-tails plans that left Bogo glaring at them. Everyone settled in to watch as the trio of thieves gathered their supplies and made their way to the vault.

...

The three small mammals stood in front of a rhino-scaled vault door. Mr. Line waited staring at the door as Mr. Torch nervously looked back the way they came. Harry pulled a modified laptop out of his bag and began hooking it to the biometric lock. “Did I ever tell you why I have the name ‘Mr. Spark’?”

The badger snorted derisively. “Cause you’re an electrician?”

Harry chuckled. “Nope. it’s because I have the  _ Spark _ …” he hit a key on the computer, “…of genius!” He stood and disconnected the computer as the vault door swung open.

...

Sgt. Wade Anderson keyed the radio. “Base all units: execute.”

...

Mr. Torch had just started hooking a string of thermite up to the vault’s secondary depository door when Harry’s radio skwaked to life. “ _ Plan B, Plan B!” _

He startled in utter confusion at the prearranged code for, ‘Police on their way’, then scowled at his two panicking partners. “You two, get back to work!” He went to the vault door and hit the emergency closure switch, sealing them inside.

“What the Hell, Spark?! You’ve trapped us in here!” Mr. Line stormed over to the rabbit who was pulling the architectural drawings out of his bag.

When he spun the rabbit by the shoulder he came muzzle-to-muzzle with the other item Harry kept in his bag: a semi-automatic air pistol. “You’re here to do one job: to get what Mr. Shadow wants. So  _ get back to work! _ ” He shoved the badger back towards Mr. Torch. “Is it ready?!” The squirrel hesitantly nodded. “Then light it off and get over here with the rest of the thermite.  _ I’ll _ worry about getting us out.”

...

Judy and Nick fidgeted as SWAT and EOD mammals swept into the bank while police cars began chasing the faux DPW truck. “ _ Command, Breach Team; looks like they locked themselves in the vault. Access panels been dismantled. Orders?”  _ Wade looked over the various monitors in frustration.

Judy pointed to the monitor with the repelling gear. “They didn’t take the lines down, and there’s never been any evidence at a site on how they got in or out. They meant to get out this way, so locking themselves in the vault was not a part of the plan.”

Nick looked around while scratching his chin. “Yeah, but these guys aren’t panicky amateurs. They must have a plan on how to get out. What do we know they have?”

Wade looked appreciatively at the two smaller officers. “Well, they have a three-mammal team, rappelling gear and-”

All three looked at each other at once. “Thermite!” Anderson got back on the radio. “Breach, back up to the stairwell and have EOD stand-by; bring up the tech team to try and hack the vault door! Base, Command; I need Fire and EMS on site now and uniforms at all sewer and subway access!”

The radio crackled to life.  _ “Copy command. Be advised, there are still protests at Furlong and Price.” _

The three looked on tensely as the police and fire department moved into position.   


...

After a minute of looking at the plans and thumping on the floor, Harry pointed to a spot. “There. Put all the thermite you have left right there.” Mr. Torch scurried to obey as Harry turned to where Mr. Line had gone. “Do you have it?”

“Just about,” the badger commented from the stack of gold bars.

Harry growled. “The Sun-and-Beam! Do you have the Sun-and-Beam?!”

“Yes I have the damned City Crest!”

Harry turned and barked at Mr. Torch. “Light it!” He then took a deep breath just before the vault began to fill with fumes.

...

“ _ Command, I have a fire warning from inside the vault, but a fault in the suppression system. Tech says five minutes to get the door open.” _

__ “They have one; our prey is melting through the floor as we speak.”

...

Through pantomime and shoving, Harry got Mr. Line to hang their last rope down the glowing hot hole in the floor. Molten slag had pooled on the subway tracks some 20 feet below. Mr. Line was the first down, then Mr. Torch, and finally Harry. Once on the ground he led them into a maintenance side tunnel and turned to the gasping Mr. Line. “You said you got it. Mr. Shadow will be very disappointed if you lied.” 

The heaving badger shrugged off his backpack. He pulled out a gold seal showing a stylized sun shining down onto the entrance to a cave in a mountain range. He was about to comment when Harry shot him in the throat. The rabbit turned to Mr. Torch. “Mr. Line is not needed for the next job. You are. Understood?”

The Squirrel nodded frantically as he watched Mr. Line desperately pulling at the barbed dart in his neck while gasping for air. A sharp poke from the rabbit’s pistol motivated him to turn further down the tunnel.

...

The command vehicle radio crackled to life. “ _ Command, Zoo-Baker 15; we’re under the vault now. There’s a pile of slag on the tracks, and something else. Tying in our body cams.”  _ The three mammals watched as a monitor lit up with a jittering image of a service access tunnel. There on the ground was the corpse of a badger in a nomex bodystocking, his eyes bulging and his discolored and swollen tongue sticking out of his mouth. Next to him on the ground was a pile of gold bullion bars spilling out of an abandoned backpack.


	3. Big Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ZPD begins to sift through the evidence from the Bank Job, while Nick and Judy Prepare for their double date.

Nick and Judy stood in the morgue of precinct one. In front of them were the recently autopsied mortal remains of an as yet unidentified badger. Nick screwed his muzzle in distaste. “I don’t know if I’m ever getting that smell out of my snout.”

“Not my first corpse, unfortunately. Farm work is more dangerous than my parents would like to acknowledge.” Judy opined from his side while contemplating the badger’s face.

Nick snorted then sneezed into his sleeve. “Not that. You don’t spend decades on the street without at least one run-in with a cadaver. I mean scorched plastic and burnt metal. If it hadn’t been for the dart in his neck, I’d be willing to believe our friend here died from the fumes when he was in the vault.”

The sable Coroner, Doctor Illia Furiakin, hobbled onto the autopsy table. “Well it wasn’t smoke inhalation which did the deed to our friend here, though his eventual pulmonary failure was certainly helped along by it.”

Nick pulled a small tube from his breast pocket and dabbed his nose with menthol cream. “Whoo. And what, pray tell, did the deed to this poor beast. Aside from a dart to the neck.”

“Star in Heavens lad, I only just finished removing his organs a minute before you walked in here. Give me some time to work.” the aged mustela rapped his cane on the table for emphasis.

Judy hummed softly. “Some kind of arsenic, maybe? I had a cousin who got into an old pesticide locker with lead arsenate. He was found the next day looking like that.” She pointed to the badger’s face. She started slightly when a paw rested on her shoulder. She looked over to her partner with thanks and relaxed paws she didn’t even realize she’d clenched. “It’s still commercially available outside the Tri-Burrows, though you’ll get a jail sentence if you use it in the Burrows proper.”

Dr. Furiakin theatrically brandished his cane. “Young doe, I’ll thank you very much not to do my job for me.” He then turned back to the cadaver. “But yes, arsenic in high enough concentrations would do the damage I’ve seen. If the dart comes back positive for arsenic, I don’t think it would have mattered where this poor soul was shot-”

Nick growled back in his throat. “That’s murder one.” All three considered the corpse. “It makes no sense though!” He started pacing. “I understand, in a twisted sort of way, double-crossing a partner for a greater cut, but we recovered all the bullion!” Nick stopped and bared his teeth in frustration. “Why escalate to Murder One if they weren’t going to keep the gold?”

“You said it probably wasn’t about the money.” Judy interjected.

“That doesn’t explain the escalation though. Until now the Harvey Gang has avoided violence, then suddenly they’re killing each other and leaving the take behind? No, we’re missing something.”

Judy thought for a moment. “Or we aren’t being told everything. We need to review what was listed as stolen from every job, then get a straight answer from Lemming Brothers on what was in the Furlong branch.” She turned back to the sable doctor. “Thank you Dr.-”

“Please, we’ve been over this; it’s Ducky to you.” Illia smiled indulgently.

She smiled wanly and nodded. “Ducky. Come on partner. Let’s find out what we haven’t been told yet.”

They headed back up to Wade Anderson. “Hey Sgt.?” The polar bear looked down from his computer screen when Nick spoke up. “Any word from the lemmings on anything else that may have been taken?”

Wade turned back to his screen. “As a matter of fact, yes.” He shifted his screen around so the two smaller officers could see. “The city’s official Crest was being kept there. What little vault footage we did get shows our ex-badger going deeper into the secondary vault than the bullion stacks before returning for the gold.”

They all watched the video as the three crooks worked. Judy grit her teeth in frustration. “I can’t stand that a fellow rabbit would be involved in something like this!”

Wade paused the video. “Hopps?”

Judy pointed to the mammal on screen looking over a technical plan. “That guy right there. The way he walks, the shape of his head, the size of his feet, even the way he cocks his head; that’s a rabbit, I’m sure of it.” She shook her head. “Hey, did we get the fake DPW truck?”

It was Wade’s turn to scowl. “Pursuit lost them somewhere in the Inter-District 15 Gordian Interchange.” He adjusted his screen and started typing. “Uni’s found what looks like sheets of latex-vinyl tape in one of the side tunnels. Looks like they had the entire truck covered in a quick take-down fake paint job.”

Nick stuck a lolli-pop in his muzzle. “Well at least that explains why nobody’s ever found the trucks from the previous jobs.”

Wade chuckled grimly. “Yeah, well it’s still a bad look on us. Vice is canvassing every chop-shop and under-the-table body shop in the city to see who might be doing this, or recruiting the talent to do it. The real problem for us is size.” The two smaller officers gave him a look. “Hey, Small-crime is a big problem when half the city’s volume is dedicated to megafauna. A wolf-sized two-car garage could be converted into a full on motorpool for trucks that size. There’s a lot of places they could be.

“Anyway, I’ll send this and all the rest of the LB files to you guys.”

“Thanks Sgt.” Nick gave a two finger salute and the two were off to their cubicle.

Once settled in, Nick turned to Judy. “You wanna review the reports or the footage?”

Judy thought for a second. “I’ll take the reports. If I watch that video again, I’ll just get more pissed off.”

After half an hour they paused to get a snack and compare notes. Nick started off between Bug-Bites(tm). “Alright, got four things that stood out to me on this.” He laid out a set of enhanced stills from the bank and vault videos. “First, your notional bunny- don’t give me that look. ‘Inductive reasoning-”

“-kills cases’. I know.” Judy popped a Kale chip in her mouth. “Doesn’t change the fact that he’s a rabbit, but go on.”

Nick snorted. “Yeah, well he’s in charge. You can see it a little in the lobby. The others look at him before moving on, but doubly in the vault; he’s the one who shuts them in, then starts directing the other two. Second,” Nick brought out a photo of the ‘rabbit’ looking over an architectural drawing, “they were definitely there for the City Crest: the so called ‘Sun and Beam’ and _not_ the gold. You can see here on the drawing he has this spot circled, but all the gold was on palettes in the center of that area. Also the badger goes back there first, then comes for the gold. Third, our body-buddy was the one in charge of the climbing gear.” More stills showed the badger rigging climbing ropes through smoke. “I may never have made it as a Ranger Scout, but those are some very professional knots, and he did it inside a dim bank vault that was on fire. Lastly,” he brought out a lobby image of the back end of the squirrel, “our arsonist buddy here isn’t a natural black squirrel; he missed a spot just under the tail where his grey fur is showing through.” 

Judy cocked an ear and eye. “That got your attention? A mammal engaged in criminal activity trying to disguise themselves-”

“As one of the rarest color mutations in the squirrel population, as opposed to his natural color, which is grey: the most common coloration.” Nick dialed the pedantic smug up just a touch. “Maybe he’s just trying, and failing I might add, to cover his butt, but in this case he’d likely have been better off with his natural coloration, unless...”

Judy thought for a moment. “Unless there was something specific enough that he needed to distance himself from any similarity;” she started to grin, “such as a felony conviction!”

Nick nodded in satisfaction. “Likely for something associated with why he’s here, and he’s here to light things on fire with Thermite. Once we finish up here, we’ll dig into probate and see how many squirrels are in the system for arson or Destructive Device violations. So,” he leaned forward with a faux lecherous leer, “I’ve shown you mine. Time to show me yours.”

Judy rolled her eyes then laid out her photos, pointing to one in particular of a small, worn clay tablet . “May I present to you, the Key of Cloncham.” She noted Nick’s puzzled but focused look. “It’s a Foundationist artifact. Supposedly, they came from the first Cavern, where the Foundation of Civilization was laid. Legend has it they can be used by the faithful to find their way back to the Foundation.

“Now this was picked up by Wormington in an estate auction. It’s why his robbery was so much more valuable; to the faithful, it’s beyond priceless.”

“Well, someone felt it had a fixed price if he bought it. Why wasn’t the sale on the news if it’s that important?”

“Cause then Wormington wouldn’t have been robbed; he’d have been lynched. Anyway that’s one. Next, we have the Journal of Amberly Finn. She was-"

“An adventurer and explorer from about a hundred years ago.” Nick smiled at the surprised and pleased look on Judy’s face. “Would it be inappropriate to say I had a crush on her as a kit?”

Judy snorted a laugh. “Not at all. She was the total package: smart, pretty, rich and adventurous. Males wanted her, females wanted to be her.”

Nick nodded. “Yeah, but she got laughed out of academia for proposing a unified theory of mammal origin.”

“Yup.” Judy nodded in return. “And the journal of that quest was in a Safe Deposit Box in Port Royal. Third, we have this.” She advanced a picture of a gilded amulet.

Nick stared intently. “The All-Seeing Eye.” He looked up at Judy. “That right there is the Celestine equivalent of your Key of Cloncham, right down to the legends. Where was it?”

She shuffled the papers. “With the Whitepaws. Apparently there have been other attempts to steal the amulet, so they don’t advertise that they have it.”

Nick leaned back in thought. “Alright, what’s the last, or in this case, first item stolen?”

“These.” Judy moved the final set of pictures forward. “Amberly brought a cartographer and photographer with her. No name listed, but ZU was using the old Institute for Savings as a backup storage for their library.”

“And somebody knew they had that there. Must have had an overdue book if our mam went for a bank heist rather than just checking them out.” Nick and Judy finished their snacks almost simultaneously. “Okie-dokie. Let’s get this in a report and hand it off to Bogo.”

Two hours later, they were standing in the Chief’s office. “This is good; especially the squirrel.” Nick restrained his smug. “It’s likely we can track associations and find out who recruited him. I’ll forward this to Oates, and I’ll assign you under him for the duration of the case – tomorrow.” Both smaller officers looked puzzled for a moment. Bogo snorted. “I’m saying good job, now go home and I’ll see you at roll call _tomorrow_.”

Judy was about to protest when Nick forced her elbow into a salute. “Yessir, thankyou sir!”

She finally freed herself from his grip when they were on the lobby stairs. “Nick, come on! Don’t you want to know what’s going on?!”

“Yes Carrots, I want to know _tomorrow_ , as in after our date tonight.”

She gawped for a moment, then chuckled and slumped. “I completely forgot.”

Nick rested a paw on her shoulder. “That’s what you have a partner for.”

...

Nick was the picture of casual calm on the outside. He was in a swanky restaurant with his vix after all. Across from him sat his best friend and partner alongside her date. Harry Rhoades was a suave mammal, which was surprising given his banal seeming job as a computer engineer, but his fascination with history made him an excellent and engaging conversationalist. Nick would dearly have loved to have met Harry at an earlier point in his life; any earlier point in his life than now. But he was meeting him now, and Nick couldn’t ignore the subtle smell of scorched plastic and burnt metal coming off of the rabbit sitting across from him.


	4. Burden of proof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth shall set you free... or set you off.

Judy sat across from her partner at the dinner table. He and Mandy made a lovely, if interestingly contrasted pair. Mandy, as always seemed the case, was in a Cream two-piece with a muted pine green blouse. She looked almost angelic next to Nick in his devilish two-tone black and burgundy three-piece suit. They made it work though, playing off of each other as the night wore on; Mandy’s technical experience playing off of Harry’s work related anecdotes, while Nick drew out Harry’s fascination with history with his own, almost encyclopedic knowledge of Zootopia. Neither of her work friends allowed her to remain idle in the conversation.

However it almost felt like there was a sense of competition, as if Mandy, Nick and Harry were all engaged in a game of one-upmamship with their stories. Harry was easily holding his own and even seemed to relish the challenge Nick presented. Maybe it was a male thing; some of her brothers could be that way. Still, ever since the start of the evening, she couldn’t shake the sense of tension coming off of her partner.

It had started innocently enough. “Yeah, sorry about the smell. We had a small fire at work last night due to some less-than-attentive employees. It’s all taken care of though; nothing important was lost.”

From the moment Harry had said that, Nick had been on edge. No, not on edge: on the hunt. The more she watched and listened to her partner, the more it felt like he was subtly interrogating a suspect.

“So what are your interests outside of keeping the minions from burning the workplace down?”

“How about church? I thought Judy mentioned meeting you at, Cavern wasn’t it?”

“Oh, you’re non-denominational! Does that mean you buy into the Finn Unification-Theory of Mammal Origin?”

That last one had set Harry off on a tangent; he hadn’t stopped talking for 15 minutes. She’d had high hopes that Nick was just being a proxy ‘older brother’ and that engaging Harry was allowing them to bond. However when she looked at Nick, his eyes were in that slightly unfocused space where he was watching a mammal in totality; the set and subtle twitches of their ears, were they looking left or right when answering a question, were they licking their lips and drinking more water than previously. She was sure of it now: Nick was interrogating her buckfriend as a suspect, but why? Harold was a decent buck!

Mandy must have noticed Judy’s tension because she reached beside her and pinched Nick. “Honey can we talk for a moment?” Her tone was saccharine sweet but her smile was laced with hot-peppers.

Nick chuckled and nodded as if it meant nothing more than a request. “Of course dear. You two don’t mind do you?”

Harry hesitated as if surprised at the interruption, then waved them off with a smile. “Not at all. Looks like the main course is being plated anyway, so I’d have to stop.”

Nick flashed a grin and headed to the parking lot with Mandy. Once they were out of ear shot, Judy turned to Harry. “Sorry about Nick. He…” she paused for just a moment, “gets that way sometimes.”

Harry’s beaming smile was reassuring. “Nonsense, he’s a great guy. It’s nice to see mammals with an interest, albeit limited, in history.” 

Judy leaned back when Harry turned to their waiter. While she was glad Nick hadn’t alienated her buckfriend, something about it still didn’t seem right. She saw Nick and Mandy come back in, but was surprised that it was Mandy who seemed subdued. Something was definitely up and she was  _ going  _ to get to the foundations of it.

“And for madame, roasted Acorn Squash with savory quinoa stuffing.”

After dinner; She’d get to the foundations of it after dinner.

...

Nick was tense coming in the next morning, and not just because of the strike-induced longer commute, nor the fact he’d intentionally come in 30 minutes early. He knew he’d pissed Judy off. To be fair, she was in her rights to be pissed; he’d spent the first half of the interrogation... He paused and shook his head; the  _ date. _ But that was the rub; he was 75% sure Harry was the rabbit from the bank job, and the smug bastard was cheekily dating a cop.

There was one angle though, when Harry had mentioned the fire. He may have been 75% sure Harry was the bank rabbit, but he was  _ absolutely _ 100% sure Harry had lied about something in that part of the conversation. And he knew just how to check. First, he needed to let Det. Oates know about his suspicions and made sure Judy was busy so he could dig into it.

He knocked on the clydesdale’s door frame and walked into his open office. “Detective? It’s Officer Wilde. Do you have a moment?”

The massive equine turned a laconic grin to Nick. “Not at all little mam. Hop on up.” He gestured to a stepped series of chairs set aside for interviewing various sized mammals. “What can I do for you this fine but _very_ early morning? And without your partner no less?”

Nick paused in seating himself as he was reminded that despite his laid back nature, Det. Edward Oates was one of the keenest detectives on the force. “Yessir, that has to do with it. I believe I may have identified a Mammal of Interest in the Harvey Gang, but there’s a close personal connection between them and Officer Hopps. I wanted your permission to pursue that line of questioning this morning, and request that you keep Hopps busy on something else case-related.”

The nearly-two ton equine pondered Nick for a moment, then nodded while steepling his hooves. “I’ll agree, but you’re going to be here when I tell Hopps. I’ve seen other partnerships come apart over lesser issues; I won’t see that happen to you two because you wouldn’t communicate.”

It was 15 minutes later when Judy came into Det. Oates’ office. “Det. Oates, Officer Hopps reporting in.”

Oates nodded and gestured to the stepped chairs. “I’ll not beat around the bush on this one. Nick thinks he has a lead in our case that may result in a personal conflict for you Hopps, and I think you know what, or who, it is.” Though her expression clearly said she didn’t, he pressed on. “I’m assigning him to that line of questioning. You, Hopps, are going to look into our badger. Forensics identified him: Terry Crowshaw. He has a rap for B&E’s. Dig into everything: his past employers, former cell mates, anything that could lead us to the rest of this crew. I have other officers looking into the rest of the mammals, but their work may hinge on your find. Am I clear?”

The two officers stood up and saluted. “Yessir!”

“Well go on then! Git!”

...

Judy stood next to Nick in Oates’ office at the end of the day. Every moment not investigating Mr. Crowshaw was spent wondering what Nick could possibly think would represent a conflict of interest. She was worried about the crestfallen look on her partner’s muzzle, and what it could mean. It wasn’t as if Harry was a suspect, was it?

She took a deep breath and dove in. “I’ve found a number of connections with Mr. Crowshaw. During his first major stay in jail, he earned a ‘Life-Coaching’ certificate and an amateure Free-Climbing Instructor’s license. One of the most recent was in Tailson Falls Medium Security. He was roomed with Kyle Nutacre, a grey squirrel from Pineview, about 30 miles from the city.” She presented a mug shot of a grey squirrel. 

“Mr. Nutacre had multiple previous juvenile arrests for fire-related vandalism, and was in Tailson for Arson, Possession of Stolen Goods and Possession of a Destructive Device in the Whitacre neighborhood of the Meadowlands. CO’s at Tailson said there was a small crew of mammals that Crowshaw and Nutacre interacted with on a regular basis.” Several more mugshots were presented showing an ermine and a pygmy pig. “They had all participated in an Interfaith-Council rehabilitation counseling program and were paroled eight months ago.”

Judy’s hopes were dashed when she heard Nick groan slightly from beside her. “Harry Rhoades: MS in Communications Technology, BA in History with a focus in Religious studies.” He presented a work portrait of Harry. “Works for ‘Aristoatle’ IT Solutions. This is the server farm for several banks in the city, including Furstons, Port Royal, as well as the Notheby’s Auction Company and Barks Security. He also has a dart gun license and a weapon on registry.

“He’s a  _ strong  _ believer in the Finn-Theory; to the point he was kicked out of a Pastoral Studies program for arguing with his Sponsor for rejecting his dissertation. He  _ is _ certified through the Zootopian Interfaith Council’s Evangelical Synod as a Crisis Counselor. He used to make fairly regular visits to Ryder’s Island, Song-Song, and... Tailson Medium Security prison.” He gave Hopps a pained look. She scrunched her nose for a moment, then nodded. 

Nick took a deep breath and continued. “Last night, he mentioned in conversation that there had been a fire at his workplace. I checked with ZFD dispatch; there were no fires reported. I contacted someone in Zootopian International Group who insures Aristoatle; there were no claims for damages of any kind filed. I had a CI swing by their server farm building as a potential hire. He didn’t report any signs or scents of a fire.

Nick looked at Judy. “I know it’s all circumstantial, but--”

She stood erect and looked straight into Det. Oates’ eyes. “There is substantial evidence that my  _ former  _ buckfriend, Harrold Rhoades, is the rabbit from the Furlong Ave. Bank robbery two nights ago.”

Nick laid a comforting paw on her shoulder.

...

Ben Clawhauser was contemplating the perfection of the eclair in his paw when he was startled into throwing it into the air. It landed without notice on the antlers of a passing patrol mammal who, like everyone else, stared in shock at the verbal explosion which had just come from the Detective’s wing.

“That SONNOVABITCH!”


	5. And the Truth! Shall set you free.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy and Nick discover the possible motivations and next target of the Harvey Gang.

Nearly the entire female population of Precinct One was in the break room with Judy. It felt good to have the emotional support, even if she knew she’d be taken off of the case. She sighed and looked up as Oates walked in with Nick beside him. “Hopps, a word?” Francine Trunkaby gently patted Judy’s shoulder with her trunk as the rabbit stood to follow the detective.

She stood at parade rest in his office, rather than sitting down. “You wanted to see me, sir?”

The massive equine considered her for a moment. “Normally, having as close a link to the suspect as you do would automatically disqualify you for participation in this case,” he glanced at the now clearly trying-very-hard-to-look-innocent fox beside her, “but your partner has made a compelling case that  _ this  _ case is big enough for us to avoid conflict of interest.” Judy very nearly broke into a full binky, though she did grin happily.

She snapped to attention and saluted sharply. “Thank you, sir! I won’t let you down!”

A satisfied smirk teased at Oates’ lips. “See that you don’t. You and Nick have the broadest cultural context for a team on this case, so I want you two to figure out what the next target is going to be.”

“And Harry, sir, if I may ask?” Judy looked at the detective tentatively.

He leveled a no-nonsense stare that would have done Bogo proud on her. “You may ask. See that you  _ don’t let me down. _ Understood officer?”

Judy’s ears flagged in chagrin. “Yessir.” 

“Good. You have your marching orders. Get to it.” He waved off their parting salute and tucked into the substantial paperwork pile on his desk.

Nick and Judy sped to their own work space. “Seriously Carrots, that was shaving a little close, don’t you think?”

“I know, I know. It’s just, I can’t believe I let myself get used by him and--”

Nick paused and lay a paw on her shoulder. “I don’t think he did Judy. You started dating him a month before we were assigned the ‘Harvey’ case, and our own Cyber-crime mammals are certain he isn’t in our system so he can’t know we’re on it now. You just happen to be dating a louse is all. Happens to us all at one point or another.”

Judy patted her friend’s paw and looked up at him. “No Nick, he used me. Maybe not to get intel on the case or influence the process, but he used me.” She looked forward to their shared cubicle. “I wasn’t his doe friend, I was his trophy; his proof that he was smarter than us,  _ better _ than us. He used me to flaunt his crimes and inflate his ego. It was never about me or us, or even the case; it was about him!” She stamped her foot in anger.

Nick raised his paws in submission. “Okay, I can see your point; but you know what happens if your name is attached to any evidence associated with him personally.”

Judy bristled slightly. “What is this, _Academy_? I’m not an idiot Nick!” She shrugged his paw off. “I know defense in any case would have the whole mass thrown out due to, ‘clear conflict of interest’! You don’t have to remind me.”

Nick could only look on in concern as his friend and partner stormed over to their cubicle. He pulled out his cellphone and sent a quick text to Mandy. He then made his way to their shared workspace. He arrived to see Judy staring blankly at her desk. He didn’t have the chance to say anything when she turned and spoke up. “I’m sorry Nick.” He could still see the anger in her eyes, but not directed at him. “I know what you meant, and I know what’s at stake it’s just...I feel so  _ stupid _ !” 

She looked up and was about to speak when Nick walked over and wrapped her in a tight hug. “You were about to ask forgiveness, weren’t you?” She nodded from inside the embrace. He let out a sigh. “‘The Light from on high sees past our faults, and recognizes the true mammal within.’ You don’t need to apologize to me, not ever.”

Judy chuckled and looked up. “That sounds a bit like scripture there Slick.” 

Nick scratched the back of his head. “Well, the Church may be corrupt as the day is long, but the philosophy is still relevant.”

“Hey!” Both looked over to see Mandy with her paws on her hips. She strode over and pulled Judy away. “Paws off my bunny there, scruffy!”

Nick scoffed. “Your bunny? I saw her first!”

Judy broke into a full giggle. “Alright, enough you two. Hey Mandy. I guess you heard?” 

Mandy pulled Judy into a quick hug. “Doe, mammals in the Canyonlands heard.” She stepped back and looked Judy in the eye. “Are you okay?”

Judy looked both annoyed and relieved. “No, but I will be. Let’s get back to work so I can see his sorry scut rot in jail!”

Mandy smirked at her friend. “Good. So, I brought up everything we have on the items you identified as ‘of interest’.” She pulled a department flashdrive from her pocket. “Let’s see what we can figure out.”

Three hours later, they were down in the break room with their notes. Judy gnawed on a worry-stick. “So the ‘All Seeing Eye’ and the ‘Key of Cloncham’ are basically the same thing; religious icons meant to guide the faithful to enlightenment, or salvation or the truth; it gets muddled in the translation.”

Nick shook his head slightly. “Not ‘the Truth’; the ‘Source’. Mom wasn’t big into the New Revised edition of the Scriptures of Light. She always went on about how ‘the wisdom from on high was passed down to us exactly as written in the  _ Tongues _ of old!’ This word here,” he pointed to a line of text on a mobile-tablet, “means ‘source’, or ‘The Source’ depending on your denomination. The New Revised edition translates it as ‘truth’.”

Mandy idly nibbled on a bit of fish jerky. “You might want to talk to some of your own theologians, Bun. Might be something similar with the Key.”

Judy hummed thoughtfully. “Well I was raised in the Evangelical Synod, and that’s what I attend here. But there is an Orthodox Cavern in Alpine Ridge northwest of Tundra Town.”

Nick scribbled a note. “We’ll put it on the list of places to hit. Okay,” he flipped to a new image on the tablet, “next we have the City Crest: the Sun and Beam. Supposed to symbolize the unity between the Celestine,” he pointed to a stylized All Seeing Eye at the top of the crest, “and the Foundationalist churches.” He tapped a depiction of a cave connected to the Eye by a ‘beam’ of light. “There’s extra details like mountains and constellations, but that just might be artistry.”

“Or,” Mandy tapped his nose, “it might be motifs that have meaning to whoever made it.”

Judy tugged Nick’s notepad over. “So we also need to find an art historian, or a city historian.”

Nick nodded at that. “We also need to talk to someone who studied Dr. Finn’s work, so just pencil that as heading to the University.”

Everybody nodded as Mandy’s phone went off. One glance had her moving. “I gotta head back. Cyber just cracked the encryption on the drives for the Mowerton investigation.”

Judy stuck her tongue out in distaste. “That ‘Go-Fund-Me Killer’ thing?” Both officers shuddered. 

Mandy gathered her supplies. “Yep. You two go track down your monster; I’ll deal with mine.” She gave Judy a hug and pecked Nick on the cheek, then everyone headed out.

As they were heading to motorpool, Nick looked sideways at his partner. “Maybe we should split up for this one Fluff?”

“Any reason why?”

Nick slowed to a halt. “I’m just not comfortable going to church; any church.” He looked chagrined at his friend. “I haven’t been back in more than a decade and this feels... wrong. I’m sorry.”

Judy rested a paw on her partner’s side. “I won’t make you do anything you aren’t ready for.”

Nick chuckled. “Oh? How about swinging from a vine Taurzan style or blowing up a train car?”

Judy smirked. “You were going to be my partner. You needed to be ready.”

They continued on to their cruiser. “You take the tank, Fluff. Call someone from the 12th Precinct to meet you there. I’ll head over to the University. ”

“Okay, but how?”

“It’s on the Freemont #3 loop I’ll, just...”

Judy smirked. “ZTA’s still striking. Can’t believe you forgot.” She tittered at his pout. “Want me to give you a lift?” 

Nick huffed. “No, it’s an hour out of your way in this traffic. I’ll call a Zoober and buzz Nadine to meet me there. The student rally she and Danny are doing Public Safety for  _ should  _ be finished by the time I get there.”

The two gave matching two-finger salutes and headed their separate ways.

...

Judy pulled up to the base of Mt. Whitemane. There in the Cavern’s parking lot was a 12th Precinct cruiser with a grossly mismatched pair. The dour grizzly bear whose name tag declared him to be ‘K. D. Ackerman’ towered over the smaller, grinning lynx. “Officer Hopps! It’s good to meet you. Officer Robert Katzenberg. This is my MPM (Master PatrolMammal) Officer Ackerman.” He took Judy’s proffered paw in a frenetic grip. The older bruin simply nodded and turned to the carved stone archway marking the entrance to the Cavern.

Judy turned to follow and noticed Robert remained by the cruisers. “You’re not coming in?”

“What?” The young lynx started, then nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “Nah. If my dad knew I was standing  _ in front  _ of a Cavern he’d notch my ears, to say nothing about going inside.” He smiled sheepishly and crossed himself in the Sign of the Star. “I’ll just stick with the cruisers.” Judy’s ears flagged, but nodded and followed Officer Ackerman. 

When she entered the arch, she was expecting the Cleansing Pool to be a common washroom like at the Cavern in Sahara Square, with benches and a small cistern to clean your feet off before heading deeper in. What she found was a rough hewn chamber with stone carved benches. Inset in the wall behind were little alcoves where footwear could be placed. Officer Ackerman was waiting for her at the head of a stone staircase leading down to a knee-deep (for her) pool that took a sharp right out of sight.

She stepped into the pool and was about to continue on, when a paw rested on her shoulder. “Wait.” She glanced up at the bruin officer and noticed he had his eyes locked on the water around them. She did the same, and as the water stilled she saw their reflections. “Cleansing waters of earth, as you reflect all that is within you, may we too reflect upon all that is within us, and cleanse our spirits of sin. From the Foundations to the Heavens, the Foundations that support all creation. So mote it be.”

“So mote it be.” Judy faintly remembered her grandfather Otto whispering a similar prayer every time he had entered the Cavern in Bunnyburrow. She looked up at the larger officer who nodded and they moved deeper in. 

They swiftly entered the Grotto propper. The ceiling was tall enough to comfortably accommodate a giraffe and was supported by gilded pillars. A priest was standing next to the central altar. They approached and waited quietly as the priest finished a daily blessing. When she was finished, the matronly tapir faced the two officers. “Foundations support you my children. How may I help you.”

Judy stepped forward. “Sister, a situation has come up that requires the assistance of the Foundationist church. Do you have an office where we could talk?”

...

Nick climbed down out of the wildebeest's minivan as they  _ finally _ arrived at the University. “What, no tip?” the bovid snarked.

“Yeah, two of them.” Nick paused before closing the door. “Resist herding behavior on the highway, and learn the city’s layout before trying to do a cabbie’s job.” He resisted the urge to try and slam the door in frustration. “I gotta get my own car.” He headed over to the student mall where the Fangmeyers had agreed to meet him. They were easy to spot; protests were generally a herd activity, and a siberian tigress like Nadine was anything but.

Danny caught his scent before he was close enough to call out and nudged his partner. They all met in the middle. “Thanks for meeting me here guys.” Nick nodded to his coworkers.

Nadine shrugged and looked back at the herd. “Eh, beats watching them milling around aimlessly.” She turned back to face Nick. “The bulk of the demonstrators broke off for lunch, and campus security can handle what’s left.”

Danny shrugged as they walked. “You can’t really blame them. I mean, the city pretty much gutted the educational assistance budget to help fund the space launch blimp thing. A lot of these kids might not be able to continue without serious grant money.”

They all headed to the art department first. They were met by a massive bison behind an equally massive desk. “Can I help you officers?” The males voice was less heard, as felt by the three officers.

Nick steped forward. “Yes, we’d like to talk to someone in your Art History or Religious Iconography Departments?”

The Bison considered Nick for a moment, then looking at the two officers with him he began typing. “Dr. Salim bin Aslani is on the third floor. He’s the Dean of Art History. He should be in right now.”

Nick waved off any concern by his fellow officers and they headed up. “That’s about the most benign speciesism I’ve ever had. Let’s get this done so Judy and I can help the rest of you catch her ex. Won’t  _ that  _ be a slap in the muzzle for society?”

They arrived at the Dean’s office and gave a sharp knock. “Enter.” They stepped into the spacious room filled not with art objects, but various photos of expeditions featuring a younger version of the lion sitting across from them. “Good afternoon, gentlemammals. How can the University’s Art Department help Zootopia’s Finest today?”

The two larger officers looked down at Nick. The vulpine took a calming breath. “Well sir, we need to identify the relationship between several religious artifacts, the ‘Sun and Beam’, the work of Dr. Amberly Finn, and how they may relate to anything kept in the stacks of the Metropolitan Museum.”

...

Sister Marple looked through an aged, metal-bound tome. “Here it is, ‘And these shall be the Keys given unto you, that they may grant you access to the Foundations, and unto your  _ origin. _ ’ I don’t usually hold services in the ancient  _ Tongues _ , which is a shame; there was so much more poetry than found in the newer translations.” She looked up from the book at Judy. “Does this help you dear sister?”

Judy bit her lip in thought as she looked at the ancient text. “If you don’t mind, may I look at this for a moment?” She pointed to the image drawn on the illuminated page. Sister Marple nodded and spun the book to face her. Judy looked at the gilded painting of a field with mountains in the background. In the foreground was a cave. “What’s this image here?”

“Those are the Fields of Plenty. It is the first land, where all mammalkind rose up first. This was before the Time of Woe, when the Celestines descended from their mountain strongholds and tried to subdue all mammals before their Star and Spire.” Sister Marple noticed Judy was on her phone when she brought up a picture of the Sun and Beam Crest. “Ah yes, the ‘Sun and Beam’. It was created after, when peace was first forged between Foundationalists and Celestines. The Light of Reason joining the First Cavern and the First Star.” She pointed at the crest. 

“But I thought the City Crest signified the Great Accords at Unity Springs?” Judy squinted between the two images.

“It does signify the First Accords, but they did not occur here in Zootopia, but rather in the Fields of Plenty; before the Sundering, when the first cavern was closed to us.” 

“That’s what he’s after! He wants to find the Fields of Plenty!” Judy shot up “Thank you both, you’ve been a great help!” She bolted out of the Grotto to meet up with Nick.

...

The elderly lion shook his head. “Losing those archives was a terrible blow to the University. However poorly Dr. Finn was treated, her research should not have been left to founder so. As for your question,” he looked at Nick, “I’m afraid you’re speaking to the wrong mammal. My focus has always been on post Migration Neo-Classicalism. It sounds like you want the Dean of Pastoral studies.” He chuckled at the collected groan. “Don’t worry, that old codger is in this building. I’ll walk you down.”

They made their way to the office of a rather stout Badger. “What is it Salim? I’m busy trying to keep my department from closing!”

The Lion smiled warmly. “You and everyone else Silas. You have guests. If you play your cards right, it might get you an in with City Hall.”

Silas’ head snapped up at that. He squinted at the new arrivals. “The police?” He scurried around the stacks of papers to come out in front of them. “Well out with it.”

Nick began once again. “We’re here due to a case involving the theft of items of significant cultural value, including one ‘All Seeing Eye’, one ‘Key of Cloncham’ and--”

“The writings of Amberly Finn.” The badger sagged against his desk. “What has that damned fool buck done?” He glanced up. “Oh don’t give me those looks. I can tell you right now who did this. It’s--”

“With all due respect Professor,” Nadine interrupted, “we aren’t here for information on the mammal or mammals who may be responsible. We need to know what they would go after in the Metro Museum.”

The old badger started for a moment. “Well, if this  _ is  _ my old student whom you may neither confirm nor deny, then he’s going to try to follow Mad Finn’s writings and try to find the Fields of Woe.”

All three officers looked at one another in confusion. “Um, Fields of what?” Danny Fangmeyer cocked his head in confusion.

Salim chuckled from the doorway as Silas began pacing. “Our respective religions teach of the time when mammals united during the calamity known as the Sundering. Prior to that, most mammals lived in a region called the Fields of Plenty. They became the Fields of Woe when a rather contentious band of Celestines called the Savage Stars descended out of the mountains and attempted to wipe out the largely herbivorous Foundationalists. According to myth, the Great Mother herself was so distraught that she smote the land with earthquakes, floods and fire. The remainder of your ancestors were driven down by those calamities and helped put an end to the savages. By then, the fields of plenty were decimated, and an accord was reached to help both groups migrate to more fertile lands. 

“Amberly Finn was convinced the various timelines were muddled together and all describe a single calamitous event that drove all our ancient ancestors from their homelands.” Silas stopped and turned. “She came back with nothing to show for it but a carved stick that she  _ claimed _ granted her safe passage and guidance. She insisted she had found the ‘true origin of mammalkind, but needed a Key of Cloncham and the All Seeing Eye to get to it.

“Obviously nobody was willing to part with them. All expeditions since then have either returned empty-pawed with tales of feral beasts haunting them the entire way, or haven’t returned at all.”

Nick cleared his throat. “Did they, perchance, take Amberly’s stick with them?”

Silas scoffed. “Roots and stones, no. That’s in...” he stared at the wall for a moment, “in the stacks of the Metropolitan Museum as a piece of modern tribal art.”

Nick and the Fangmeyers all looked at each other. Nick took Silas’ limp paw in his own and shook it. “Well sir, you’ve been a great help but we need to get a move on. Good luck with the grants!” They left the two stunned professors and headed out to their cruiser.

Nick pulled his phone out to call Judy when her call came to him. “Hey Fluff, I know what our boy is after!”

_ “That’s great Nick! I think I know where he’s trying to get to!” _

“Let’s meet up at the Precinct.” He turned to the Fangmeyers before they all climbed in. “You two think you could--”

Nadine got in the driver’s seat as Danny started calling in their location and movement. “We’ll drop you off to meet up with Hopps and the Chief, then head to the museum and let the Curator know what ‘Harry the Harvey’ is after.”

...

The Harvey Gang was looking over their equipment. There was a subdued air any time a mammal’s eyes went to Mr. Line’s workbench. Mr. Glass sullenly looked at the odds and ends that the crew had collected in their previous raids. “Not even one bar, but he took the damned Crest? What are we supposed to do, ransom it?”

Kyle, aka. Mr. Torch, twitched and made shushing sounds. “We’ll be fine! We just do one more job and Mr. Shadow will set us all up; new names, new cities, everything!”

Mr. Brush glanced at the abandoned repelling gear. “Yeah, but not everyone.”

All conversation halted when the unit’s door swung open and Mr. Spark strode in. He had a tense grin on his muzzle as he walked up to Mr. Glass. “Good evening, Mr. Glass. Everything look all clear?”

“Uh, sir? I’m not sure I-AH!” The pygmy pig crashed to the floor as Harry pistol whipped him repeatedly.

“I.”  _ smack  _ “asked.”  _ smack  _ “if.”  _ smack  _ “everything.”  _ smack  _ “was.”  _ smack  _ “ **all.”** _ smack  _ “ **clear** ?!” 

Harry stood huffing over the cowering mammal. “Gentlemammals, someone here has royally rutted up.” He began pacing and gesticulating with his pistol. “First, Mr. Glass gave a clearly incorrect ‘All Clear’ at the Lemming Brothers job, forcing me to kill Mr. Line to keep him from running to the police. Isn’t that right, Mr. Torch?” He looked pointedly at Kyle who squeaked and nodded frantically. “Now, I find the police are following  _ me _ ! I had the Savages own time losing them to get here.” 

Mr. Brush looked around at the rest of the crew. “Sir, if the  _ Heat _ is on us, shouldn’t we cut our losses? I mean we can fence some of this for-gurk-”

The ermine froze as Harry’s pistol was suddenly under his jaw. “No Mr. Brush, we do not. We finish the job for Mr. Shadow and  _ then _ you get what you are owed. Understood?” Mr. Brush tried to nod with the pistol pushing his jaw up.

Harry turned and started pacing in front of his crew again, worrying the pistol in his paw as Mr. Brush helped Mr. Glass stand up. “I know we’ve had our differences in the past, but Mr. Shadow has provided well has he not?” Mr. Brush and Mr. Glass looked around pensively while Kyle Nutacre all but cowered at his work bench. 

“I’ll take your silence as an agreement. Then we can assume there will be no more failures like this, correct?” He looked pointedly at Mr. Glass. The pygmy pig nodded frantically. “Excellent! As instructed, we’ll hit the Museum in two nights. Stay here until it’s time. If the police haven’t raided this unit, then it’s secure.” He turned and walked away. 

He paused as he was about to leave the unit. “Rest assured gentlemammals, fail Mr. Shadow again, and I will see to your punishment personally.” The door closed on the three now very worried mammals.


	6. Double-Down and Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tensions rise as everyone has their eyes on the prize

Bogo leveled a flat look at the two small officers. “You’re telling me that the Harvey Gang intends to break into the Metropolitan Museum, one of the most heavily secured vaults on the continent, to steal a stick?”

Judy straightened up just a little more. “No sir, he’s doing that to steal something that he believes will grant him safe passage through the Fields of Woe.”

Bogo huffed. “You’re too close to this Hopps. You’re seeing Harry’s paw in--”

“Not her, sir; me.” The Chief snapped his head towards Nick. “I’m the one who told her of the connection his old Professors came to. Unless you believe we’re _all_ too close to this case? In which case by all means; ignore us.”

Judy almost expected Bogo to fire or suspend Nick on the spot. “You are dangerously close to insubordination, _Officer_.” It was only Judy’s experience working with Nick that let her see just how scared he was in that moment. “That being said, I can’t ignore any lead at this point. You’ve done well; I think some time off is in order.” He leaned back in his chair. “You’re taking a week’s paid administrative leave as a time off award. Hopps. Go visit your family.” Judy sputtered as the chief’s attention shifted to Nick. “It just so happens that the Academy is looking for a veteran officer to give the current class a lecture on professional ethics. This would be an excellent career advancement opportunity; wouldn’t you say, Officer Wilde?”

Nick snapped to attention and saluted, an action Judy mirrored after a moment of shock. “Yessir!” they both barked out.

“Good.” The Chief turned his attention back to his paperwork. “I will be checking in with your family, Officer Hopps, as well as Commandant Friedkin, Officer Wilde. Dismissed.”

The two saluted smartly again and left. Nick guided Judy to the elevator and pulled the E-Stop once it was moving. “Woe-be-Damned Cud-for-Brains! Who the Hey does he think he is?!” Judy began circling the elevator like a hunting hawk.

Nick leaned against the wall of the elevator and gave his friend some room to vent. “He thinks he’s the Chief of First Precinct, Judy. You know there’s way more politics involved at his level; he _has_ to look at things from the Twilight Zone, just to keep cases from getting kicked out on technicalities.”

She spun and faced him. “What, so he insults both of our professionalism? We _need_ to bring Harry to justice!”

“Yeah, _we_ , as in the police; not the ‘Dynamic Duo of Justice!’” He stepped forward and rested his paws on her shoulders. “Whether it’s you and me, or McHorn and Trunkaby or the Fangmeyers, Harry _will_ go down. Trust the rest of us to do our jobs, okay?”

He watched as five different shades of anger flashed across her muzzle before she let out a huff and laid her forehead on his chest with a thump. “You're right. Let’s go tell Oates the ‘good news’.” She stood up and straightened her uniform.

Nick smirked and started the elevator going again. “Great. You can call your folks and order a ticket while... are the trains to Bunnyburrough even running with the strike?”

The elevator doors opened onto the lobby. “No, but Peter Rabbit Bus Lines are. I’ll just get the 2:30 and surprise them.”

“Great! I’ll call around 8:00 and we can commiserate.”

Judy tensed as they were walking. “Oh there’s no need, Nick. You’ll have your paws full at the Academy.”

“Of course there’s need! You’re my partner; I need to be by your side, even if only in spirit.” He gave her a sidelong glance. “No matter what damn-fool idea you’re chasing.”

Judy stopped and spun. “No, Nick. This is me; just me and no one else! You get caught up in this and it’s the end of your career!”

Nick looked her dead in the eyes. “That’s not how partners work, _partner._ Where you go, I go; and that includes in front of IAD or the unemployment line.”

The rabbit vibrated in frustration for a moment, then sagged. “Fine, I’ll call my family and schedule a ticket. Happy now?”

Nick smirked and started walking again. “Not nearly as happy as I will be hearing your Pop-Pop freaking out about the end of the world; what with fox cops helping bring down rabbit crooks.” They both chuckled lightly as they continued on.

...

Detective Oates stood in front of the bullpen. “Gentlemammals, we have significant intelligence and evidence pointing to the Harvey Gang striking one more time.” He clicked a button on the podium next to him, and a picture of the Metropolitan Museum appeared on the screen behind him. “We believe they intend to raid the Stacks and steal one or more cultural artifacts. At this point we can only speculate why.”

“ _You_ can speculate. _We_ have a pretty good idea why.” Nadine commented from the back, earning a general murmur of assent from the assembled officers.

Oates tipped his head and locked eyes with the tigress. “Will your ‘idea’ convince a jury? Is there no possibility you might be mistaken?” Nadine’s and her brother’s ears flagged at the question. Oates looked around at the rest of the officers. “Yes, there is very strong evidence pointing to one specific artifact as their likely target, but there is also demonstrable proof of a schism within the gang.”

He clicked the button again, showing the corpse of Terry Crowshaw as the responding officers had found him. “We cannot guarantee they will act according to our expectations. All we can expect is that they are likely to consist of four or more mammals: Harrold Rhoades, who seems to be the ringleader, Kyle Nutacre, convicted arsonist, Ernesto Miner, who was convicted of Art Forgery and Grand Theft, and Jethro Porkins who’s a former wheelmammal for the Water Street Gang.” Each name was accompanied by pictures. 

“Dr. Furiyakin has confirmed Mr. Crowshaw was killed by a lethal dose of an Arsenide-based pesticide; and by lethal I mean enough to kill a mega.” The gathered officers shifted uncomfortably. “DA assures me this will be considered Murder One with Malice of Forethought, so every member of the gang is to be considered armed, and extremely dangerous. Chief is authorizing the use of Riot Control rounds, so take no chances.

“We’ve already informed the museum, and they are taking steps to secure the highest-value items. That said, Rhoades has dropped off the map and we’ve only ever observed the rest of the crew once, so _be alert._ We don’t know when they plan to hit the museum, only that they do. Shift Sargents will coordinate a schedule for an unmarked, plain-clothes stakeout. Any questions? Then dismissed.”

...

Judy was rocking on the porch swing while watching the fluffle play in the yard. It was nice to relax after last night. She’d gone out with some of her old school friends for a ‘Farewell’ evening; Sharla Cotton would be going to Kenedeer Space Center next week to begin prepping for her pioneering space launch in four months. She’d managed to go the entire evening without thinking of her long-eared rodent of an ex; that was progress, right?

She was startled out of her reverie when her phone rang. She wondered what Nick had gotten into that he needed to call so soon after their last talk. Then she saw it was Harrold. She grit her teeth for a moment, then quickly set up to record the conversation and answered. “Hey Harry!” She poured her soul into the act, imagining her joy at his eventual arraignment hearing.

< _Hey Jude! You’re glad to hear from me!_ > Judy listened to his tone for what felt like the first time and heard the arrogance.

“Absolutely! I can’t wait to see you and get my paws on you.”

Harry chuckled. < _Down doe. I know you can’t resist me, but try for my sake? Hey, I’ve got a project in the works that’s about to pay-off BIG! How about afterwards you and I get away together? Just the two of us? > _

Judy did her best to keep the sneer out of her voice. “Oh I’d like nothing more than to have you all to myself, but the Chief put me in Mandatory Time Off and told me to go home to the Farm; something about payroll complaining I’m not using my vacation time and being an overachiever.” 

< _Well, you do try to resemble that remark._ > Judy wanted to reach through the phone and strangle him for his condescension. < _How about this; I meet you at your family’s place tomorrow. You can introduce me to your parents, and then we can spend your vacation on a road trip. It will be the adventure of a lifetime, I promise. > _

Judy’s ears shot up in excitement. “Oh, that sounds fantastic! Do you want me to let them know? When do you expect to be here?”

< _Nah, let’s surprise them. And I don’t know yet, so that’ll be my little surprise for you; what’s life without a few surprises?_ >

Judy got an almost evil grin on her muzzle. “Oh I couldn’t agree more. And when you get here, I have a special surprise just for you!”

Harry laughed out loud at that. < _Oh you naughty little doe! I can’t wait. > _

“Neither can I Harry!” They hung up. “Neither can I.” She quickly dialed the Station front desk while heading inside to her room. “Clawhauser, It’s Judy. I’m fine, just shut up for a second.” She ignored the sudden hurt in her coworkers voice as she began repacking her bag. “I just got off the phone with Harrold Rhoades. He told me he intends to ‘go on a road trip’ starting tomorrow some time. I’m sending you a recording of the call. Tell Detetective Oates the Harveys are hitting the Museum tonight. I gotta go, bye.”

She finished with her bag and sent a text to Nick letting him know the broad strokes of what was going on, then a text to her parents letting them know about the possibility of Harold coming to the farm. After her conversation with everyone last night at dinner, she was certain the entire warren would see to it he didn’t escape. That was, if _she_ didn’t get to him first. She had a bus to catch.

...

Nick looked around the classroom at the rapt faces of these cadets. It was a bit daunting to have them looking to _him_ for guidance. But then again, _this_ was what he really wanted. Not necessarily to teach, or even to be respected, but to be considered worthy. He was about to continue when his phone buzzed. He wanted to use every excuse he could think of, both to read the text and to ignore it. In the end, he used it as a learning moment.

“One of your chief responsibilities in the field is to watch your partner; to support them, to hold them up.” He glanced at the text, and his ears shot up in alarm. The cadets noticed his reaction and a murmur began. “Also, to hold them back when they might otherwise endanger themselves. Excuse me.”

He stepped off the podium and walked over to the Commandant. “Ma’am, I have to go.”

Friedkin arched an eyebrow, to which he simply nodded. “Damn.” She shook her head. “Get going. Keep her from doing anything...”

“Judy-like?” He put on his best smirk. “On it, TI!” With that, he was out the door. 

...

Without Terry Crowshaw, AKA Mr. Line, Harry needed to modify his entry plan. It didn’t matter to him. Terry had always been a convenience to the plans, not a necessity. Realistically, he didn’t need Kyle, Ernesto or Jethro at this point. They were all simply burnt offerings on the altar of his success: a chance to prove Dr. Finn’s ‘Unified theory of Mammalian Origin.’ Nothing else mattered. 

He arrived at the burnt-out freight loading terminal. Judy and her fox partner whats-his-name did a number on this place. So much so that the city infrastructure had yet to repair any of the security, outside of installing a barricade on the tracks. He could use the utility conduits from the Natural History Museum to go directly to the generator rooms for the Metropolitan Museum, and back out again once he had the Staff. Let the rabble rummage in the stacks for loot and rush to the truck. He found them all in prison, and that’s where they’d be going again. Really, he was doing a public service. The City, Judy should be thanking him; _would_ be thanking him, for cleaning up the trash like Terry, and bringing enlightenment to all mammalkind! 

His reverie was broken when Kyle grunted as he set the charge to break into the conduit. Harry’s ears pointed back. “Don’t damage the lines! You cut power to the stacks and they’ll know where we are and what we’re doing.”

Ernesto flinched at Harry’s sudden appearance. “Cheesus, boss! Where’ve you been?”

Harry waved him off. “Last minute preparations before our _final score.”_

“And what are we doing here for Mr. Shadow anyway? You haven’t told us what we’re boosting.”

The peculiar smell of Kyle’s work filled Harry’s nostrils. “We’re making history, my good mammal, we’re making history.”

...

Bernard simply had no idea why he volunteered to stay overtime, especially when there were supposed to be dangerous thieves on the prowl. Correction, he knew exactly _why_ he’d agreed; Miss Bianca. He shook his head. It was a ridiculous notion; he was on the custodial crew, and she was the curator of the Antiquities department. He’d honestly been amazed she knew his name when he’d spoken up. But for those eyes, he’d do anything. Her eyes, her poise, her baritone voice... what?

_“Yes, everything is set. Now let me concentrate; this isn’t some common padlock like the Furston Vault.”_

He scurried up an electrical conduit and moved towards the Stacks. Once he was over the vault, he saw three small-sized mammals in subdued full-body suits working the vault door’s lock. He barely contained a squeak of alarm. They were here, just like the undercover officer had said; but he had no idea how they’d gotten in. He’d been at the only staircase leading into the storage vaults; the only other thing down here was the machine room and that had no access. He must have missed them while he was mooning over Miss Bianca. How _stupid_ could he be?!

He shook his head. Now was not the time for recriminations; now was the time to step up, to be the mouse he had always wanted to be. It was time for him to be a hero. 

He cautiously took out his cell phone and checked the building wi-fi. The signal was strong, but there was no outside internet. That was fine, he knew the internal network protocols. It only took a moment to find Miss Bianca’s contact information. He hoped she had Skyp™ on her phone. 

“ _Will you two stop fidgeting? I need to hear this.”_ the irritable mammal cursed at his partners. They in turn backed up slightly. Bernard was thankful as this drowned out the sound of his video call going through.

He pantomimed zipping his lips as soon as she appeared on the screen. Once he was sure she was paying her full attention, he turned his phone around and showed the activity at the vault door. He turned the phone back to see what she wanted him to do, only to find the wolf officer and her panicked faces. There was a text message on the screen: _Bernard, Please get out of there now!_

He stared for a moment then nodded and shut his phone off. He’d never seen Miss Bianca that scared, not even when a fire had started in one of the offices last year. He didn’t dare to hope that concern was for him.

Bianca stared at the disconnected Skyp call. Bernard was always so foolishly galant with her, and she was flattered when he’d _declared_ he would stay overnight to watch the museum. She should have known he wasn’t going to simply sit in the Custodians’ office and monitor the place. Now dear, sweet Bernard was alone with those brutes.

She looked up when a quilted kerchief was draped over her shoulders. “That’s a mighty brave mouse you have working for you ma’am.”

She looked out as waves of armored officers moved past the command vehicle she was sitting in. One team stalked towards the museum’s loading docks, while video monitors showed other groups converging on all the fire escapes, the main entrance, and on a plain white panel van parked in an alley two blocks away. 

She looked back at her phone and gave a watery grin. “Indeed; bave, foolish, sweet and stubborn. Your mammals will look out for him, won’t they?” She looked plaintively at Officer Wolfard.

“Yes ma’am. I let the lead Officers know there’s a civilian mouse in harm's way, and that they are to keep him safe.” 

...

Judy all but leapt off the bus as it stopped in the main Zootopia terminal. She frantically looked for a taxi that could take her to the--

“Evening, Judes!”

Judy stopped in her tracks as she stared at Amanda “Mandy” Vohs who waved saucily from a bench. 

“Sorry honey,” Nick sauntered over to Mandy’s bench, “they didn’t have any plantain chips, just ‘Bug Bites’. Oh hey Fluff. How was the bus ride?” 

Judy sputtered as she stared for a moment. “Bwah! How’d you get here before me?!”

Nick gave Mandy a paw up. “I asked the Commandant for a ride right after you sent your text.”

Mandy smirked at Judy. “Nick called me while on the road and let me know what was going on.” She came over and looked straight into the smaller mammals eyes. “I wasn’t about to let a friend go rushing into the teeth of certain doom without at least _trying_ to talk some sense into her.”

Judy drummed her paw on the platform in frustration. “I don’t need saving from the likes of _Harry_!”

Nick came over and knelt at eye-level. “No, just from yourself. Bogo called your parents right after you sent your texts out. Then he called me and your mom called me. I was a very popular fox for about twenty minutes, but only because everyone wanted to know where you were.” 

Judy turned her head away only to find Mandy kneeling in front of her. “Judy, if you had gone charging into the museum, Bogo would _have_ to discipline you: Direct Disobedience, Reckless Endangerment. You’d be lucky to stay on the force as a File Clerk. Is Harry really worth losing your career for? Are you really going to give him this much control over your life?”

Judy wanted to rage, to tell them it would be worth it. But then she glanced at her friends and saw the concern and fear in their eyes. Her ears flagged as she let out a sigh.

“You’re both right, of course. He doesn’t deserve that kind of influence in my life. I still wanna see his smug mug in chains.” Judy turned and headed towards the parking lot. “Bogo can't order me not to be a tourist at his walk of shame right?”

Nick and Mandy glanced at one another, then shrugged. Mandy took Nick’s paw as they followed their rabbit friend. “Well, we can keep her out of trouble, at least.”

Nick squeezed her paw and snorted. “Bets?”

...

Harry and his accomplices stepped back as the vault door gave a _clunk_ and swung open. Harry was the first in the chamber, panning his flashlight to-and-fro. He spotted several rather large paintings which were in the process of being restored, a ceremonial suit of bronze armor sized for a Lion, and there in the back was the piece he was looking for: the Staff of Passage. It was a strange thing to be sure; taller than a wolf, with a forked head where the Key would be set, three rings suspended like halos around its middle by tarnished copper wire.A flared base allowed it to stand upright. The entire length was gilded in fine gold lines, running from top to bottom in intricate patterns. It was magnificent, it was--

“Alright! Let’s snatch us some _loot_!” Harry resisted the urge to backpaw Kyle. “So what’s Mr. Shadow need outta here?”

Harry pointed at the suit of armor and the paintings. “The helm of King Aslan I, and the portrait of Carmole-a the Red.”

“What? Those are huge!” Ernesto gapped at the painting nearly twice as tall as he was.

Harry raised an eyebrow. “You’re welcome to tell Mr. Shadow that we came here for nothing if you like? Rest assured, we won’t get another chance.”

Kyle was scurrying up the suit. “And what about you?”

Harry swung his head around the vaults as if looking for something. “He also wanted the Diadem of Queen Hornestra. I’ll keep looking; you two get the Helm and portrait out to Mr. Glass. If I’m not out in twenty minutes, head to the unit and pack everything up. Mr. Shadow has your numbers, he’ll get in contact with you.” He gave the two mammals one last withering look. “Discretion, gentlemammals; remember it.” He then headed into the shadowy depths of the vault.

They worked for a minute, grumbling all the way. Once Harry was certain they were out of his earshot, he dashed over to the staff. He gave it a quick glance and confirmed it would fit in the utility tunnel with him. He had just made it to the machine room when he heard the bellowing of police mammals. It didn’t matter. He’d already cleared the storage unit of everything of real value. He was already shimmying down the conduit when the police entered the vault, and was on the Natural History Museum platform before they found the conduit breach.

...

Mandy pulled up to the Metro Museum awash in police lights. She had barely come to a halt when Judy unbuckled and leapt out the door-

“Hopps!” Directly into Chief Bogo. She screeched to a halt just as Nick and Mandy sullenly walked up behind her. “I was given to understand that we understood one another. Was I mistaken?” For all his voice was calm, all three could see the fire in his eyes.

“No sir.” Judy’s ears drooped so suddenly it looked as if they had fallen off.

“And you two?” His steely gaze turned on the pair of vulpines.

Nick rested a paw on Judy’s shoulder. “An Officer always stands by his partner, even when it might be a bad call. If I don’t, how can any of our fellow officers trust me to have their backs in the field?”

Bogo huffed and eyed Mandy. She simply took Nick’s paw in hers and lay her free paw on Judy’s other shoulder. “I’m standing by my partner, and his friend. I know you’ve every right to be furious, and to let us have it or even let us go,” Judy flinched and looked at the two standing behind her, “but she’s our friend. What kind of friends would we be if we left her alone now?” Judy felt as if she was back on the Otterton Case, with a furious Chief ready to fire her, a fox (or two) by her side and no words in her own defense. 

Bogo’s teeth audibly ground as he looked at the mammals in front of him. He let out another sigh. “You’re right. I should slam the book at you three; especially you, Hopps. But I won’t.” The three smaller mammals sagged in relief. “You’re not off the hook with me, not by a furlong.” He turned and crossed his hooves behind him. “As it turns out, there has been an... outreach request, from the Tri-Burrows Sheriffs. They want an officer exchange for six months.” He spun around and pointed at the trio. “That’s you. For the next six months, you are Deputies,” he then looked at Mandy, "and technical experts in the Tri-Burrows County Sheriff’s Office. You will answer to Sheriff Valet Salvaje. You will be the representatives of this City and this Precinct.” He knelt down and fixed Judy with one baleful eye. “Do not embarrass me. Understood?”

Mandy nodded frantically while Nick and Judy saluted smartly. “Yessir!”

“Good. You all start on Monday. I’d suggest you get ready for the trip.”

Bogo’s radio cracked to life. <Chief, we’re bringing them out now.>

Judy was about to rush ahead when the pressure on her shoulders tightened just a little bit. She looked at her two friends and relented. Nick let out a sigh of relief. “Come-on Fluff; we’ll hear about it in the morning news.”

...

Dawn was just breaking over the sugar-beet fields as Harry pulled up to the Hopps farm in his shiny white Sable LeBoaron. He got more than a few odd looks as he stepped out in a smart suit and tie. One of the various bucks coming in from a nearby barn walked over. “Can I help you?”

Harry didn’t bother with more than a glance at the grease-stained mammal. “I don’t need help from the _help_. I’ve come for Judy Hopps. Just tell her Harry’s here. She’ll know who.”

The buck remained motionless for a moment, and Harry wondered if this was going to become an altercation. The buck tilted his head slightly. “Pa,” he bellowed, “some buck named HARRY’s come callin fer Sis.” Harry felt a slight discomfort at the less-than-admiring gaze of the buck, who was also Judy’s brother. It was a good thing he wasn’t going to be here long, or this could have gotten embarrassing. 

He saw a matronly doe and a stout older buck come out of the farm house. “You don’t say, Cletus?” The stocky older buck eyed Harry. “So you’re the Harry Judy’s told us _so_ much about?”

Harry grinned widely. He should have known the family patriarch would recognize a quality mammal when he saw one. “That I am. I’ve just concluded some very lucrative work in the city and wanted to share my good fortune with Judy. Is she in?”

The dowdy doe smiled widely and gestured towards the house. “Unfortunately no, she had to step out for a bit. But she let us know she’d be back in a few hours. Won’t you come inside?”

Stu clapped a paw on Harry’s shoulder. “Country hospitality. We _won’t_ take no for an answer.”

Harry chuckled at his good fortune. “How could I possibly refuse?” He allowed himself to be led inside under the intense gaze of nearly every rabbit on the farm. He knew he’d have these bumpkins eating out of his paw by the time Judy got back. He never noticed Cletus locking the front door behind him.


	7. Zootopia Oddity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Long Arm of the Law finally catches up with Harold, only to get tangled in the Scales of Justice. Beyond it all, something ancient stirs.

Mandy pulled into Judy’s parent’s driveway at a little past noon. Nobody got out of the car. “Judy,” there was more than a little hesitancy in the vixen’s voice, “why are your parents doing a scary good impression of ‘Animalian Gothic’ by Grant Woodchuck?” 

Judy shrugged and stepped out to meet her family. “Mom, dad? What’s going on?”

Stu thumped his pitchfork on the macadam. “There’s something inside we think you need to see.” He pivoted on his heel and walked into the house.

Once Stu and Judy were inside, Bonnie relaxed slightly. “It’s good to see you Nicholas. And it’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Amanda.”

Mandy and Nick were about to respond when there was a cry from inside the house. “Nick! Mandy!” They both started to scramble out of the car. “Get a camera!” 

They paused in their efforts and looked at one another. Mandy looked helplessly for a moment. “You go see what she needs, I’ll... get the camera.”

Nick had made it to the main stairwell before he heard the braying laughter. He made the climb three steps at a time until he came to one of the medium sized guestrooms. Judy was slumped against the bed, wheezing in laughter. Two dozen of the Hopps fluffle were clustered around a six foot tall wardrobe with all manner of improvised stabbing implements. On top of the wardrobe...

“Nick! Buddy! Pal!” Harrold Rhoades vainly fended off a new round of stabs by the kits. “I have no idea what set them off, but could you maybe convince them to let me down?”

Mandy came in a moment later with her digital work camera in paw. Nick had an almost tired look on his face as he turned to step out of the room. “Mandy, could you be a dear and call this in to the local Sheriff’s office? I need to call Bogo.” 

...

Bogo wasn’t an animal normally given to swearing. It was unbecoming and unprofessional. In the comfort and privacy of his spacious Municipal Staff-car, there was nobody to hear him scream. He knew there was no one to blame but himself really; Hopps had been very forthcoming about the call she received, and Mr. Rhoades’ intimation that he would go to her house before departing for parts unknown. 

Now, he was stuck with a jurisdictional nightmare. Harold was in Tri-Burrows County Lockup on charges of Possession of Stolen Property. This was good, since the ZPD’s follow-up raid on the storage unit where the gang had been hiding had contained only half of what they had stolen. The TBCSD had confirmed _all_ of the remaining items were in Harold’s car when it was brought into impound. Unfortunately for him, the culturally sensitive nature of the items in question had raised an issue. Back 200 years ago, the old rural laws saying that a Foundationalist species could be imprisoned for being a Celestine, under such evidence as saying their prayers or holding their sacred artifacts, were stupid. So stupid in fact that they hadn’t been used in a century and everyone assumed that they’d been formally abolished. That 'everyone' hadn’t included the New Reform Foundationalist Church, and Harold was now, officially, charged with Heresy. 

It certainly didn’t help that the lop-eared sonuvabitch was singing the same song as the rest of the Harvey Gang. Every single one was claiming a mysterious ‘Mr. Shadow’ was the ringleader and benefactor of their crew. He might have believed it had he not seen Harvey with his own eyes; that was a mammal who took orders from no one. But he’d lawyered up soon after the ‘Heresy’ charge was filed and _now_ , Bogo’s hooves were tied. 

The steamer of a cherry on this delightful cow-pie, was that the three mammals with the best chance of digging into the truth of this tangled mess were legally forbidden from doing so. Harry had all but waxed poetic about his friendship with Nick and Mandy, while his relationship with Judy was public knowledge in her hometown. Harry’s lawyer, a skunk by the name of Pepe, rightly stated that there could be no investigation by Officers Wilde and Hopps, or CSI-2 Vohs of _any_ evidence pertaining to Harold’s case. That mammal was so cunning that Bogo was willing to bet that he himself had had a paw in getting that ridiculous ‘heresy’ charge filed, all to keep his client in the sticks. All any of them were left with was the hope that the extradition hearings would go smoothly.

...

Four Months Later

...

Nick and Judy lay in the bed of their County Sheriff’s Furred F-150 looking up at the stars. Their Land-Mobile Radios next to their ears while the trucks radio was tuned to the local news station playing an interview of Bunny-Burrow’s newest celebrity: Mission Specialist Sharla Cotton, Astronaut. 

<When I was a lamb, my grandmother used to take me to the top of Landry Hill and point out all the stars. I dreamed of traveling there, and seeing all the wonders that the universe had to offer. I decided then that I wanted to go to the stars, to _be_ an astronaut. It was a hard battle, fighting prejudice and culture both. ‘Sheep were too big’ I was told, or ‘A Foundationalist’s place is on the ground, not in the heavens’. I almost gave up, but I persevered in no small part due to my good friend, Judy Hopps.>

Nick looked at his partner and nudged her. “Your ears get any redder and Sharla’s gonna see you from up there.” He gestured up in the sky with his snout.

Judy snorted and slapped his belly with her paw. She was about to snark back when their LMR’s squawked to life.

<Station 55 to Zoo-Papa 2-20, over.>

Judy grabbed her paw-mic while Nick was rubbing his belly. “This is Zoo-Papa 2-20, go ahead Station 55, over.”

<Zoo-Papa 2-20, reports of a disturbance in the vicinity 100 Acre Wood Road. Please support on site units, over.>

Both Nick and Judy groaned as they climbed out of the truck bed. The radio squawked again. <Don’t you roll your eyes at me.>

Nick keyed his mic as they climbed into the cab. “Zoo-Papa 2-20 responding. And we didn’t roll our eyes, we groaned. Please tell me he didn’t try to ram the Celestine Spire with a tractor again, Over.”

There was silence for a moment. <Ha! Bingo! Looks like I get the G. Grey’s Gift Card. And no, he’s just going on about the Catmulls ‘beaming heretical thoughts at him’ again.>

They both shook their heads. Judy hit the lights as soon as they pulled out. “Another fun filled evening of listening to Old Mam Brahmas ranting about the Catmuls ‘beaming Celestine lies’ into his house.”

Nick steered down the now familiar roads. “Could be worse. We could be stuck back at the Station watching Delores moon over your ex.”

Judy made a short gagging noise. “Deep-Roots give me strength until this extradition nonsense gets cleared up and we can send him to prison where he belongs.”

...

The capsule drifted silently towards its destination high in orbit. The Marfusa International Space Laboratory gleamed in the star light. There was a gentle bump as the orbiter docked.

Hector Veronique turned to face the three mammals in the vehicle with him. “Ladies and gentlemammals, welcome to the MISL. So, Ms. MS Cotton,” Sharla glanced at the large rat pilot, “this is your first time; was it _good_?”

Mission Commander Major Despereaux Tomouse looked sternly at the rodent when Sharla smirked. “To quote your last date, ‘Are we done already? I didn’t feel a thing.’”

Mission Specialist Fellicette Cerma hissed, then mimed keying a comm-set. “Mewston we have a problem! Fire in the cockpit and Hector got _burned_!”

Major Desperaux shook his head. “Alright mammals, play time’s over. Time to get to work.” He keyed the radio. “Major Tomouse to Ground control, we’re docked and heading through the hatch now.”

The four mammal team greeted the astronauts they were relieving and set to work right away. Sharla headed over to the station’s Laika Deep-Field Observatory control center. She smiled in joy. There on a plaque above the main monitor was an old Foundationalist prayer: ‘The Foundation of all wisdom is wonder, and the Foundation of all peace is knowledge. Let your roots run deep and drink in wonder and knowledge.’ It was time to get to work.

...

Dolores Buntenerra tried to work on filing the latest reports while mamming the radio, but her latest conversation with Harold kept rattling around in her head.

“It isn’t heresy! Just look at the artifacts; they were meant to fit together. It isn't a coincidence.”

She shook her head. Harry was an interesting buck, but he had such bizarre ideas. She stood up and headed to evidence holding. There in the back were the items Harry had brought with him. Among them were the peculiar staff, the Celestine ‘All Seeing Eye’, and the ‘Key of Cloncham’. She hesitantly approached the collection. One mammal had already been charged with Heresy, and she wasn’t keen on being staked out for Ravens. Still, she had to know for certain. Harry had gone through so much trouble, and gotten into even more just to collect all of these. There had to be a meaning, right?

She shook her head again, perked her ears up and walked over to the collection. The staff all but stood on its own wide conical base. She next took the ‘Eye’, which Harry had popped out of its setting. The rim had a single groove along the circumference, so she hesitantly placed it between the two rings that were suspended encircling the staff. Surprisingly, it fit perfectly, even rolling between them. 

Last was the ‘Key’. She reverently picked up the square tablet, then looked at the staff. The only place on the staff it could go was in the fork at the top. She tried for a few minutes to get the ‘Key’ to stay put until she noticed some of the lines on the staff similar to sacred markings in Cavern. She lined up the ‘Key’ so the line of ‘The River’ lined up with the staff. The ‘Key’ slotted into place firmly.

She stepped back and smiled in satisfaction, then scrutinized the assembled staff. She moved the eye through the rings until it was on the ‘River’ line, then spun it until a vertical notch was pointing up. It stayed put for a moment, then started to roll around between the rings. She reached to get it back in position when there was a jolt of static electricity to her paw. The eye continued to roll faster and faster and the whole staff began to hum until the eye came to a sudden stop looking south. All at once, the lights in the building went out.

She swiftly disassembled the staff, and rushed out of evidence.

...

Deep within a long sealed cavern, a faint light glowed. A consciousness that had long slumbered stirred as it perceived an ancient call. It tried to answer, but it was too tired, too weak from ageless slumber. It stirred and roused to wakefulness. Heat and power built as it tried to call back, but it was buried too deep. It marshaled all its remaining power, and lashed at the binding earth. It’s waking cry tore through the land which had swallowed it so many ages ago. For a moment, all was still, then the response was heard. It was still remembered; it was still needed. The consciousness began building its reserves of strength once more, for the time had come again when its creations, its servants, its masters would return to the foundations of their civilization. 


	8. Fox-Fire in the Sky

At 9:02 PM West Coastal Time, An eruption occurred in a region long since thought abandoned by mammals. A cloud of steam and lightning shot up into the sky. The resulting surge of energy sent ripples of Fox-Fire coursing through the upper atmosphere, disrupting power and electricity across the entire hemisphere. 

As lights went out and radios failed, Foundationist Caverns and Celestine Spires were suddenly filled with power. The Alpine Ridge Orthodox Cavern hummed and lightning danced across its ancient murals, as Sister Marple wept in open wonder. On the outskirts of Bunny Burrow, the St. Fangal Spire was wreathed in Fox-Fire, and the Constellation huddled in awe as static electricity arced onto the altar with almost mathematical precision. 

...

Sharla desperately adjusted the makeshift connection between the capsule’s radioisotope generator and the station’s secondary power bus. 

“...peat, can you hear us Cotton?”

She whooped and let go of the station for a moment before her safety line caught hold. “I hear you, Cerma!” 

Maj. Tomouse’s voice came through next. “That’s great Cotton. You can come in now; given that radiation burst, I don’t want anyone spending too much time outside.”

“But sir, I--”

“We have the control wheels and radio back online. That’s what you were out there to do. You did it, good job, now get your woolly butt back inside before you get a lethal dose. This program has never had an in-space fatality, I have no desire for you to be the first!”

She glanced down at her home and watched the auroras resulting from the radiation event roll across the lightless continent, from the pole to the equator. In the southern hemisphere, where the pulse had originated, all was still. She sighed, but acknowledged. She wondered if any of the weather satellites had survived, and if any had caught whatever had caused the pulse which seemed to have knocked out power across the whole of Animalia.

...

Nick and Judy drove for a short time after the world seemed to turn off. The todd growled slightly and turned the headlights off. “Nick, we need to be able to see!”

“I can see a lot better without our truck doing the creepy flicker thing. Besides,” he gestured out the window to the myriad of colors swirling above them, “I think it’s plenty light enough for even _your_ night vision.” 

They both would have been in a better place to appreciate the celestial show if anything other than the truck still worked. They were on their way back from Mr. Brahmas’ again when the sky lit up and the radio died. Now they were trying to make it to the Sheriff’s Department in the dark. 

Judy perked her ears. “Nick, slow down. I think--”

Nick started decelerating. “I see it. Midsize sedan on the North-bound lane. Call it-” He let out a sigh as Judy chuckled. “You want to check it or should I?”

Judy’s ears tracked for a moment. “That’s Janet Lopperty. She’s generally not a bad sort but she’s skittish, even for a rabbit. Probably returning from Johanthan Hareson’s place and one of their, ‘scripture sessions’.” Judy air-quoted.

Nick chuckled. “Now now Deputy; you don’t know that for certain.”

Judy unbuckled and got out of the car. “There are three things you can count on in Bunny Burrow: Mr. Brahmas will blame the Celestines for anything and everything, Andy Braer has a still somewhere on his property, and Janet Lopperty is having an affair with Johnathan Hareson. Other than that, even sunrise is up for debate.” A minute later Judy was walking back to the truck with another rabbit in tow. 

“Oh thank you dear! I was just so terrified when the old girl died like that. And these strange lights in the sky!” Mrs. Lopperty followed Judy while clutching something to her chest. Nick got out of the truck to open the back-seat door for her. 

“It’s like the Third Writing of St. Thump, I tell you. Those no good Celestines have done something, mark my words!” She turned just in time to see Nick in the light of the aurora. 

“AH!” Her paw came up, along with a little pink spray can.

-PSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS-

...

Sheriff Joaquim Salvaje had just managed to wrangle the positively ancient diesel generator online when one of his Deputy trucks pulled up. He was glad to see Judy and Nick had made it back safely. Then he saw her stiff posture as she moved to the passenger side of the truck. “Deputy, what’s up?”

She turned to face him with a strained smile. “Oh, nothing. Mr. Brahmas was ranting again. We talked him down from charging over, then headed back when _this,_ ” she gestured all around, “happened. We were on Inter-Burrow Route 3 North when we came upon Mrs. Lopperty returning from the Hareson Ranch.”

A muffled voice came from inside the truck. Judy opened the door. “Shut up, Nick. I didn’t arrest her for adultery, I arrested her for assaulting a cop.” She helped the todd out of the truck. Now Joaquim could see Nick’s entire face was bright orange, while mucus and tears ran down his muzzle. Another rustling sound came from the back of the truck. “You too, Janet! I told you that you had the right to remain silent; I suggest you exercise it!”

He sighed. “Hopps,” his even tone cut through Judy’s apparent ire, “you and Nick are coming up on ten hours. Take him home.” He flashed a striped ear to cut her off. “You’re no use to me in your current state and your partner is no better. I’m going to need everyone in top shape over the next few days, so _go home._ ” His tone softened somewhat. “Take care of your partner and be ready to get back to work the day after tomorrow.”

Judy sagged a little under the weight of her partner. Nick made an indecipherable noise. “Of course _you’d_ be okay with the extra down time. Mandy’s going to be doting on you all day tomorrow.” They made their way to her car.

Joaquim chuckled and turned to the Deputy vehicle. He walked over to the rear passenger door and opened it. Inside, Janet Lopperty was in paw and ankle cuffs, while a ‘Fox-Away’ spray can was being used as a gag. He shook his head. “You have heard the parable of the gardener who sowed another's field to try to reap their crops, right?” Janet’s head and ears drooped in shame.

...

Jacob and Jillian Hopps had been happily watching “Invasion of the Humaniacs!” when the power went out. This was disappointing, then startling since the warren’s backup generator didn’t kick in immediately. The only light was from the battery operated floor strip lights.

“Why did it have to happen then?” Jacob groaned.

“Cuz the Humaniacs are coming for real now,” his sister teased.

“You know they don’t exist.”

“Do too.”

“Do not.”

“Do too. Where do you think the number channels come from? It’s the Humianiacs transmitting on the radio! The movie said so! And they do exist, remember Walter tuning in to them?”

“But if it’s Humianiacs, why would they only ever transmit numbers?”

“Cause they’re weird,” she shrugged.

Jacob groaned “Everyone knows it’s just tribe shamans in the wilderness doing a worship thing or something. They’re always moving around which is why no-one ever tracked the source.”

“How did they ever learn the numbers or get the radio?”

The little buck could only shrug. “Some come up here and then go back? Say, Judy’s fox is a Wilde right, maybe he sneaks them back to his tribe?”

Whatever discussion they were having was broken off as one of their older siblings walked in and frowned. “Stop dawdling. Come on.”

Every kit knew that in an emergency they were supposed to go to the main dining hall so they could be accounted for. Jack and Jill were on their way there when they passed a group of teenage kits coming in from outside. “Did you see that!”

“Don’t be stupid Jedidiah! Of course I saw it! Everyone saw it crawling across the sky like...”

The older kits went on to the dining hall while Jack and Jill looked at each other. They silently made their way to a second story reading room to look out. The entire sky was lit up with Fox-Fire slithering every which way. There was so much that the ground was lit up like a full moon on snow. They were about to head down when Jill squeaked and pointed. They watched as tendrils of light and silent lightning danced over the countryside; some over the big Foundationist Cavern downtown, some over the old Celestine Spire on the outskirts, and some almost directly due east over Old Mam Brahmas’ farm.

“It is the Humaniacs! We gotta tell someone they’re here!” Jack all but vibrated, though it was hard to tell if it was fear or excitement.

“Nobody’s gonna believe us.” Jack wilted at his twin’s declaration. “Unless...”

“Unless?” 

Jill smiled a wicked smile. “Unless you come back with proof!”

Jack crossed his arms over his tiny chest. “Nuh-uh. I remember Miller’s Mill. I ain’t goin. Unless...”

Jill’s ears drooped. “Unless?”

Now it was Jack’s turn to smirk. “Unless you come with me!”

Jill’s ears shot up at the challenge. The twins could see the dare in eachothers eyes. They pointed their fingers at each other. 

“Double-Doe-Dare!/Double-Doe-Dare!” Their ears shot up in alarm. 

“Jinx!/Jinx!”

“Grrrrr! Fine!/Grrrrr! Fine!” 

They linked pinkies together in the most solemn of childhood promises, opened the window and made their way out into destiny!

...

Oslo Brahmas was a pius bull, just like his father and his father before him. His family were once a part of the priestly caste of the Orthodox Foundationist Church. Now he was a tired old dirt-farmer. Worse, he was surrounded on all sides by hypocrites and Celestines!

Rabbits. Pha! Oslo knew his scripture and scurrying little rodents like them weren’t ever mentioned until _after_ the Book of Hobbes, when the people drove the Celestine heretics into the mountains and the path to Clonchom was reopened. Now he couldn’t throw a stick without hitting one. The New Reform Foundation even allowed them to serve as Priests. How were they supposed to hear the song of the Earth without horns to gild? 

Then the world turned even more to madness when the power went off. It was like a sign from ancient times; just after that Hopps kit and her pet fox had left, the electricity had died and the heavens were lit up with rivers of light. He’d rushed to his room and put on his personal array. It wasn’t proper gilding, and _technically_ he wasn’t supposed to gild his horns since the Song of the Earth was for the Priests to hear and interpret. But he was of a priestly lineage, so he had more right than any of these New Reform Heretics!

He wound the foil around his horns and strung a length of speaker wire between them. It wasn’t proper gold gilding, or in the sacred patterns, but it was the best he could do in this blighted place. How was a rabbit supposed to commune with the Song of the Earth Without horns? The Deepest Roots of creation had blessed _his_ people with the _Horns of Power_! All they had was weak flesh.

He felt the tingle in his head that told him he had finished. Without electricity, those wicked Celestines couldn’t block out the _Song._ He grabbed his airbow and headed to the shrine his grandfather’s grandfather had built out back. It was laid out in the manner of the Old Testaments: four trees planted North and South, East and West over a natural copper deposit. The bark of the trees still bore the sacred marks, carved into them so a filament could be wound into them. It was a testament to his family’s piety.

As he drew closer, he could feel the _Song_ . He gripped his air bow a little tighter. He had come so close in the past, but was never quite able to commune. There was always something: the Celestines transmitting their lies into the ether to drown out the song, or maybe lightning strikes to the trees while he was trying to commune. But old roots grow deep, and his Foundations were stronger than the machinations of the Celestine lies. Tonight, he _would_ hear the glorious Song of the Earth!

When he sat in the center of the shrine, there was a palpable power. It crawled along the bark of the trees following the sacred marks. Little sparks would occasionally leap from the trees to the ground, and now to him. He was ready. He sat down and began the old ritual prayers. The power coursed through him, sang through him! He could almost make it out... yes! There were words! He wept while intoning the prayers. The Song of the Earth was singing to _him_! If he focused a little more, he could almost understand them. His name! It sang his name! It was saying--

“-no _Humaniacs_ , just mean old mister Brahmas.”

His reverie was broken as he looked at two tiny rabbit heads peeking around one of the trees. The energy was spent. No more power coursed along the ancient bark, and the song was slipping away. All that was left was him, the rivers of fire in the heavens, and those two miserable long-eared rodents who had taken the song from his ancestors, from him! He bellowed in rage, snatched up his airbow and chased after the two tiny kits.


	9. Mad World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where do we come from? Where do we go? Answering these questions can be a lifelong calling, or a murderous obsession.  
> A series of robberies of cultural artifacts sends Nick and Judy on a hunt across Zootopia and beyond.

The dining hall was eerily lit by Chem-Lights as various rabbits moved about getting the warren operating again. Suzette made her way to the front of the hall where Bonnie was managing the chaos as best she could. Ahead of her in line was the Vixen who had been staying with them since Judy and her partner had been assigned to the TCSD.

“It looks like the control board is fried.” Mandy held out a circuit board. “It also smells like half the fuses in the transformer room are blown. Danny and the others are shutting off all the breakers right now, as well as fetching new fuses. He says there are spare boards in storage, but I’d like to test them before installing them and trying the generators again.”

Bonnie grimaced and nodded. “If the boards don’t check out, or if you can’t test them then don’t worry about the generators. We’ve got more than enough firewood for the old furnace to keep the water hot and moving.”

Mandy nodded and headed back to the utilities building as Suzette stepped up. “Auntie, I’ve got the count. We’re short twelve: four were in town, six were visiting other warrens, but I’ve got two kits who were last seen in the warren missing.”

Bonnie thought for a moment. “Jack and Jill?”

Suzette nodded. “Last anyone remembers seeing them, they were in one of the second-floor video rooms watching old Sci-Fi movies.”

Bonnie ground her teeth. “Shoots will lead to Roots, those two went up to Landry Hill to watch the light show. We’ll wait till first light, then I’ll personally head up there and drag those two back.” She took a calming breath. “Get a list of everyone else over to your Uncle Eustace in the garage. They’ve got most of the trucks working.”

Suzette nodded and headed off just as her cousin Judy came through the main door. Nick was leaning on her shoulder, stinking of ‘Fox-Away’ so bad it was making rabbit eyes water and noses twitch. “Deep Roots, Jude! What’d you do to him?” 

Judy shot a cross look at her cousin. “It wasn’t me Suz! Mandy would do  _ terrible  _ things to me if I broke her todd.” Judy and Suzette lowered Nick into a chair, avoiding the worst of the snot pouring out of his snout. “It was that Jezebel Lopperty!”

Suzette looked sternly at her cousin. “Hey! Jezzy’s a good kit! She wouldn’t--”

“I didn’t say Jezebel Lopperty, I said _that_ _Jezebel_ Lopperty.”

Suzette’s ears flopped. “Oh. Janet.”

Judy nodded. “Yup.” She took a tube of neutralizing ointment, a spray bottle and a bottle of eye drops from one of the nearby first-aid kits. Nearly every kit got into Uncle Stu’s ‘Fox-Away’ stash at one point or another, so they were all well versed in treating exposure. “Picked her up stranded on the road back from the Haresons place-” Nick mumbled something. “No Nick, that’s exactly what happened. The best part is going to be when I go to the ranch for- '' There was another mumble. “I know it’s ‘a conflict of interest’, but it isn’t like Sheriff Salvaje has anyone else to spare. If I avoided everyone in this town I had some past ‘incident’ with, I wouldn’t be able to work any closer than Buckton. Now shut up and hold still. This is going to suck.” She readied a nearby rag and shot neutralizing agent up his snout causing him to sneeze violently.

Suzette stuck her tongue out in distaste. “How do you understand any of that?”

Judy chuckled and gave Nick the now soiled rag to properly blow his snout. “This is actually more articulate than he gets before his third cup of coffee.” Nick very conspicuously blew his nose towards his partner. 

Suzette chuckled and headed to the garage. Nick was well in paw, and she had kits to track down.

...

Dolores Buntenerra shook her head as she helped Lopperty into her cell. “I’m sure we’ll get this all sorted out once we can contact your family.” Janet’s ears flopped as she nodded, and Dolores shut and locked the cell door. It was all so hectic. She was the only Deputy left on shift after Sheriff Joaquim had headed home.

“Dolores.” The doe shivered at her name, but not in fear. “Could you please tell me what’s happening outside?”

She smiled shyly. How could Judy ever suspect this sweet animal of those horrid crimes? She turned to his cell and was about to speak, but instead gasped in surprise. Harrold’s ears were erect while faint green lines traced their way across the insides of them. “Oh Deep Roots Harry! Your ears!”

Harrold nodded. “I never bought into the dogma about ‘only the chosen may have the sacred patterns’.” He looked pleadingly into her eyes. “Please, this is one of the moments spoken of in scripture. If I could only see the heavens, and hear the  _ Song of the Earth _ , it would be enough!” He slumped back in his cell. “I could go to the punishment I’ve been given with a free spirit.”

“Ha!” Janet barked from her own cell. “Heretic like you? We should cut your ears off and hand you over to those Celestine savages like in the old texts!”

Dolores stamped her foot and turned. “And maybe we should shave your head and carve a bloody ‘ **A** ’ into your skull while we’re at it, hm?”

Janet shrank back as Harrold softly stepped forward to the cell door. “Sweet Dolores, don’t lash out on my behalf. ‘Bitter roots bear bitter fruits’ after all.”

She turned to the buck and watched as fox-fire played across his ears. She smiled and her ears blushed. “You’re right.” She stood a little straighter. “I think it’s about time you got some exercise. It’s the law after all: a prisoner is supposed to get one hour of outdoor exercise per day.” She walked over to his cell and unlocked the door. “Now you follow me; and no funny business!” she saucily wagged a digit at him.

He raised his paws in the air. “I wouldn’t dream of doing anything I wasn’t supposed to.” As she turned to the door and he followed, his smile turned decidedly calculating. They stepped outside and Harry was brought up short in wonder. His ears buzzed with energy. “What in Green Acres...” He saw Dolores fidgeting to the side. “What is it?”

She hesitated. “It’s silly really but,” she glanced at Harry then glanced away, “I assembled the staff and--” she felt an almost electric jolt as Harry grasped her by the shoulders.

“And what?!” His eyes were wide and his glowing ears vibrated. “You assembled the staff and what?”

She was frightened for a moment by the intensity in his eyes. “And...  _ this _ !” She gestured around them both; at the darkened town and fire in the sky.

His face froze for a moment. “Show me.”

...

Oslo was on the outskirts of town, airbow at the ready. He’d lost track of those two miserable kits, but now he could hear the song again. There was the rhythmic false song coming from the wicked Celestine Spire; he’d knock that monstrosity down one of these days. There was a bass droning coming from the New Reform Cavern. It was like a siren song to him, but he knew it was a lie, because now there was a third. It pulsed and warbled with almost words. He plodded through the streets towards the only building with power.

The song grew stronger as two tiny forms came out of the building clutching something; something with the Key of Cloncham wedged into the top, right alongside a Celestine Eye!

“ _ Heretics!” _

...

Harry was almost beside himself with his good luck! Dollores had convinced herself that whatever environmental event was happening was tied to his staff. It allowed him to distract her long enough to retrieve one or two other items he was likely to need. She was a nice enough, if slightly dim doe, but there was only one animal worthy of him. Once he’d found the  _ First Foundation _ , Judy would see he was right all along, and that everything he’d done was worth it.

They’d just stepped outside when they heard the bellow. “ _ Heretics!” _ A Forest Buffalo was maybe thirty yards away. It had the most ridiculous contrived Array he’d ever seen, and he’d spent years studying fringe cults. What was less ridiculous was the large air cannon he was aiming at them. Harry relinquished the staff and shoved Dollores to the side. As he expected, the bull tracked the staff and fired, though an errant spark caused his head to twitch at the last minute and throw his aim off. The beast roared, threw the rifle aside. He then dropped to all fours and charged Dollores. This gave Harry the perfect shot.

Harry may have double-majored in History and Pastoral Studies, but he minored in Biology. His tiny dart with it’s extremely concentrated formula struck the beast in the liver, sending it’s poison straight into the heart and lungs. It collapsed in a heaving pile at the doe’s feet. She rushed forward as he walked calmly and wrapped her arms around him. “You saved me!”

“I couldn’t let anything happen to you.” She couldn’t see that he was looking at the staff, and not her. “You see now, don’t you.” He stepped back and held out his paw.

She hesitated, and he was prepared to shoot her as well when she put the staff in his paws. “Please, find the answer to this! I didn’t believe before but now--”

He took the staff and tuned her out as he slammed its wide base into the pavement. This set the eye to rolling about between the rings, faster and faster until it suddenly stopped and looked South. “Just as her journals said. I know where I have to go.” 

He was brought up short when Dollores pressed something into his paws. He looked down and saw it was the keys to her Furred Bronco. “Then go.” She stepped back, then turned and fled back into the Sheriff’s building. He chuckled and shook his head. It was like the universe wanted him to succeed in his quest. He found the truck, put the staff in the passenger’s seat and put the gullible doe and now quite dead bull out of his mind as he drove south through the darkened town.

...

A cheer rang throughout the warren as the lights came on. Judy smiled in relief and patted Nick on the shoulder. “Looks like Mandy and my brothers got it done there, Slick.” He gave a mumbeld, snotty response. “No, there wasn’t any doubt. Oh there she is. Hold on a moment. Mandy!” Judy waved at the dusty, cobweb-covered vixen.

Mandy smiled and headed over, then barked in alarm. “Nick! What happened?” She got three feet from Nick before the smell of ‘Fox-Away’ hit her like a slap to the muzzle. Judy huffed, her ears flagging as she was about to speak when Nick mumbled something. “What do you mean, don’t blame Judy, but don’t listen to her?”

Judy rolled her eyes and handed Nick a well used rag. “Here, blow your snout. He means we ran into some local color that sprayed him in a panic.” She handed Mandy a small bottle of scent neutralizer for her own snout. “Nick thinks I’m being biased just because I want to slap the--” -snOOORnk- Both mammals looked at Nick as he set the rag on his lap. “You want to take over with Sneezing Beauty here while I check in with mom?”

Mandy gave Judy a quick hug, then sat down next to Nick. “Yeah, I have the goof.” She took his paw and smiled indulgently. “Always too nice for your own good, you know that?”

Judy smiled as she headed off, knowing her friends were okay. She made her way into the main dining hall where Bonnie was still sitting court. “Hi mom. Anything you need from me?”

Bonnie smiled at her daughter. “Is Nick settled in?”

“Yeah, Mandy’s taking over so I’m free now.”

“Good, then you can get changed and get a flashlight and head to Landry Hill.”

Judy tilted her head for a moment then groaned. “Jack and Jill?”

Bonnie gave a long suffering sigh. “If it’s not hunting Fairy Rings in the Westwood, they're up on Landry Hill looking for space aliens. I’ve got Suzette coordinating the recall of every other kit, buck and doe who was out, so If you want to change and take Betsy out-”

Judy nodded. “I’ll get some dungarees on and head out in ten minutes.”

Judy quickly changed and saddled one of the farms Rhea's in 15 minutes. She rode off to Landry Hill with ChemLights and a pole mounted storm lantern. It took her twenty minutes to get to the highest point in the Burrows township. Five minutes of searching turned up nothing. She was trying to figure out where the kits might have gone, or if maybe they had already doubled back when she saw a bit of silent green lightning touch down in the direction of Oslo Brahmas’ place.

“It’d be just like those two.” She put her heel to Betsy and took off for the ornery old bulls place. She was halfway there when she heard a sniffle. “Jacob, Jillian?" She saw two sets of ears peek up from behind a fallen tree. Judy grounded the bird and started towards the two kits when she saw them huddled together in terror. She knelt down and scooped them both up in a hug. “Hey, shushush, it’s okay.” She rocked them both back and forth in her arms for a moment until she noticed something in the ground behind them. 

She carried them over to Betsy and set them down under the old bird’s wing, then went back for the mystery item. It turned out to be the shaft of an airbow quarrel, nearly an inch in diameter and three feet long. It had buried itself up to the fletching in the earth. When she turned to look back, she could see a gouge had been cut into the top of the log Jack and Jill had been hiding behind.

She was torn on what to do, but only for a moment. First was to get the kits back home, then ride into town to report this to the Sheriff’s station,  _ before _ anybunny got the bright idea of forming a lynching party. There was only one mammal in all of Tri-Burrows County that could carry, much less use an airbow this size, and Oslo Brahmas’ contempt for his lapine neighbors bordered on outright hatred.

...

She handed the two shaken kits off to her cousins at the stables and headed inside with the quarrel wrapped in a saddle blanket. “Mom, I found them.” 

Bonnie looked up at Judy in relief. That relief faded when she saw her most adventurous daughter’s concerned expression. The Hopps matron nodded to one of the other does, who took over for her, then followed Judy into one of the adjacent rooms. “What happened?” 

Judy set her wrapped bundle on a table and began unrolling it. “My best guess? They headed out to the Brahmas’ place.” Bonnie gasped as the quarrel was revealed. “Oslo’s been wound tighter than normal. With all  _ this _ going on,” she nodded towards the outside, “they may have tipped him over the edge. I was going to head into town to let the Sheriff know  _ before _ anybunny got the bright idea of enacting some frontier justice.”

Bonnie nodded absently while staring at the grim implement. “Eustace has all the trucks out, and it’s still pretty dark out so you’re probably better off just taking Betsy out again.”

Judy gave a sharp nod, then headed back out to the ratite stables. She was in town half an hour later. There was a false dawn lighting the horizon as she rode up to the station house. Several other Deputies were outside, as well as Sheriff Salvaje. The tired hare glanced over at Betsy’s boom at the comotion.

“Hopps, I told you to go home!”

She was slightly taken aback at his brusque manner. She grounded the nervous rhea and headed over with the wrapped quarrel. “I did sir, but two of my siblings were missing. I found them halfway between the warren and Oslo Brahmas’ place.” She handed over the projectile. “This was buried in the ground behind where they were hiding.”

The striped hare huffed. “Well that explains why he was off his farm.” He glanced up at her questioning, ‘Sir?’ He handed the quarrel off to another Deputy. “Oslo Brahmas attacked Dollores Buntenerra sometime after you left. He was darted, and we’re dealing with that now.” He glanced at a group of mammals trying to load a large bovid into the back of a medium-mammal panel van. It was a testament to how unprepared Bunnyburrow was to deal with emergencies not involving mammals outside their size range.

“Is Dolores all right? Sir, I can be in uniform and back out here in--”

“Deputy Buntenerra is fine, and you’ll head home and stay there like I ordered you to earlier. This,” he waved around, “is under control. I need you and Nick at full strength in two days; no earlier, or the next time I talk with your Chief, it’ll be to inform him about your direct disobedience. Is that understood?”

Judy was more and more alarmed by how harsh Joaquim was being, and was certain he was concealing something from her. It wasn’t, however, worth disciplinary action, so she decided to drop it, for now. “Yessir.” She saluted and headed over to Betsy.  _ Why was everything always 48 hours? _ As she mounted up, she took closer note of the truck Oslo had been loaded into. It was a refrigeration truck. Something was very wrong, and she  _ would  _ get to the bottom of it, in two days.

...

Sheriff Joaquim Salvaje sat across from his Deputy...  _ former  _ Deputy Dolores Buntenerra. The evidence was too clear, despite her story about Harry somehow escaping when Oslo Brahmas attacked the station. Specifically, the evidence room which had been unlocked and  _ only  _ Harrold Rhodes’ effects were missing. All department keys had been accounted for, and the only keys not found were for Dolores’ Bronco, which was also missing. Finally was Ms. Buntenerra’s claim that  _ she  _ shot Oslo in self defense. Nobody had informed her that Oslo had been declared dead on the scene by the same poison that had killed Terry Crowshaw four months ago.

Dolores was fidgeting in her seat. “Well? Are you going to ask me anything? Say anything?”

“Not yet.” He glanced at his watch. A moment later, the door to the interview room opened up. “Right on time.”

Dolores looked at the newly arrived buck in confusion. “Uncle Toby, what--”

“Not one word.” The suited greying buck set a briefcase on the table. “I’m here in an official capacity as your lawyer and I am advising you to not say anything.” He looked at the Sheriff with mixed anger and concern. “You wanted me here, so I’m here. Now please explain why you all but demanded I represent Dolores Buntenerra to you?”

“Because in addition to firing her,” Joaquim slid a manilla folder across to Toby Buntenerra, Attorney at Law, “I am forced to charge her with a number of crimes including: Aiding and Abetting in the escape of a known Felon, Aiding and Abetting in Grand Larceny, Aiding and Abetting in the Theft of Cultural Artifacts, and Accessory to Murder in the First.” Toby and Dolores had both been increasingly concerned at the litany of charges, but they were shocked at the final charge. “Yes, Ms. Buntenerra; Oslo Brahmas was declared dead at the scene when the EMTs arrived. Dr. Earley said with the level of Lead Arsenide in his blood, it’s likely Oslo was dead as little as a minute after being shot.”

“That’s impossible! Deputy Buntenerra’s weapon uses the state standard tranquilizer. Charging her for the use of such--”

Joaquim cut Toby off. “Mr. Brahmas wasn’t shot with your niece’s side arm, and I suspect not by her at all. Oslo was shot with the air pistol confiscated off of Mr. Harold Rhodes, and secured in our evidence lockup. That weapon, as well as several other items were removed some time between 10:00 PM Thursday, and 2:45 AM Friday; the same time Mr. Rhodes went missing. At a minimum, Dolores helped him escape.” He looked his former colleague in the eye. “If you  _ did _ pull the trigger as you claim, then that’s Murder One with Malice of Forethought, since you had your side arm on you, but chose to use a weapon tested and confirmed to contain a lethal poison.”

Dolores began weeping uncontrollably. Joaquim had to harden his heart; he needed her to work with them to figure out where Harry went. The nation was turning back on, inch by inch, and Zootopia was going to want to know where their murderer was. He needed something. The alternative was to put Dolores alone in a room with Judy Hopps, then take a walk to the Grey lad’s Bakery two blocks down. 

As it was, he was on the fence about some good old fashioned Frontier justice. There was a certain appeal in sending Judy after the murderous buck and letting her deal with him where nobody would judge, and it was just her word on how events went down. Of course, he’d know. So would Judy, and her partner would twig on pretty quick. It would still be one word against another, but could he look any of them in the eyes if he sent her out as a vigilante executioner? Could he live with himself if he let her become that?

His eyes settled back on Dolores. Enough lives had been destroyed by that monster Rhoades. He’d not be culpable in ruining yet another. He’d find another way. He had to.

“Dolores,” the doe locked watery eyes on him, “I need you to tell me where Harry went; otherwise it’s the evidence against whatever you say, and right now that evidence points to you being an Apostate heretic and a murderer. Help me find Rhoades, before he makes  _ you _ pay for his crimes.” 

...

Judy sat in the Deputy truck assigned to her and Nick, waiting for the todd to arrive so they could leave. Truth be told, she’d have left without him 15 minutes ago, but Slick-Nick had hidden the keys. She’d let him have it once they were on the road, away from her family. It was the last straw as far as she was concerned, if the rumors floating around the burrow were to be believed. Some were pretty out there; how Harry was responsible for the nationwide power outages that were only now being fixed, or that he’d somehow used Celestine magic to spirit off with all his ill gotten gains, as well as Deputy Buntenerra. The only consistent parts of the rumors were that Harry had escaped, that he’d killed Oslo Brahmas, and that Dolores was somehow involved.

A flash of red out of the corner of her eyes let her know Nick was coming. She stubbornly refused to look at the fox as the passenger door opened. “You’ve had your fun Slick, now give me the keys so we can  _ finally  _ get to work.”

“We’ll have to wait a bit longer.” Judy jolted at Mandy’s voice coming from the cab. “Your momma’s in full ‘doting-mother’ mode. Course that’s not stopping Nick from milking it for all it’s worth.” The vixen looked at the doe beside her. “Gives us a few minutes to talk without the goof trying to play peacemaker.”

Judy gawped for a moment. “ _ You _ hid the keys!”

“Yup.” Mandy looked at her friend sternly, but also with concern in her eyes. “You’ve been wound tighter than a cheap watch for the past two days. Doesn’t take a genius to deduce that you’d just as soon bolt off without us if left to your own impatience.”

Judy snapped her head around. “I have had about  _ enough _ of everyone deciding what’s best for me!” 

“That’s a byproduct of being a reckless, headstrong doe surrounded by mammals who care about you.” Mandy’s eyes narrowed as Judy turned her face away with a huff. “Even the densest of your brothers knows you’re ready to go on a tear. We’ve been hearing the same gossip flitting about the water cooler as you have.”

“And so… what? Can I not be trusted to do my job, then?”

“You tell me.”

Judy felt fire flare in the back of her brain, poisonous barbs pricking at her tongue and ready to tell Mandy to give her the keys now or accept an incoming taser shock. Fortunately, that threat didn’t make it past her lips. She took a deep breath to throttle back on the indignation and kept her gaze staring straight out the windshield at the driveway ahead.

“I’m a cop, first and foremost--”

“You’re  _ Judy _ first and foremost, but go on.”

Judy gritted her teeth. “I’m not incompetent. I know how to handle myself in the face of adverse situations, as I was trained to do. And I’m not going to endanger my career for the likes of scum like Harry Rhoades.”

Mandy nodded. “See, I could almost buy that. Except that you couldn’t look me in the eyes while saying it.” She sighed and leaned back against the seat. Nick was sauntering down the driveway, arms laden with Bonnie’s freshest lunches. “And you  _ have _ let your career be endangered by him, or have you forgotten how we all got assigned out here?”

“Oh, so it’s  _ my  _ fault you couldn’t keep your snouts out of my business?” Judy again refused to look the vixen in the eye, even as a small voice whispered,  _ demanding _ she not attack her friends. 

“No Fluff, that one’s on us.” She shivered slightly as Nick’s voice came from the back seat. “We, as your friends, were not about to let you head off after Harry and get your career destroyed.”

“And we’re not going to allow it now, either.” Mandy extended a paw over the center console, dangling the truck keys. “If you’re going to commit professional suicide, you’ll do it in our full view, like the stars watch the firmament. And when we all come back to the warren, we’ll say we did everything we could.”

Judy reached up and silently took the keys. She thought about how she’d planned to storm into Sheriff Salvaje’s office and demand to know why she had been left in the dark; why her warnings to Dolores had been ignored, and to threaten to resign if she wasn’t assigned to pursue Harry. When she’d imagined those things earlier, they’d run the gamut from cowing the hare into capitulation, to being stripped of her badge and taking off Mad Yax style. What she hadn’t imagined was the presence of her friends behind her. She knew Nick would follow her wherever she tore off to, Mandy by their side. She also knew it would crush him to see her lose her dream. 

Judy heaved a sigh and started the truck. “You won’t have to do anything, so it’s a moot point.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” Mandy snarked, though Judy thought she saw a hint of a smile on the vixen’s muzzle.

“Get ready to eat your words, dumb fox...es.” A smirk teased at the corner of her mouth in what felt like the first time in weeks.

“I’m sure they’ll taste delicious with these sandwiches Bonnie made us.” 


	10. Bun on the Run

Judy pulled into the Sheriff’s Department parking lot. She hadn’t felt this reluctant to come to work since the days after the infamous Press Conference. This time however, it wasn’t what she had done, but what she had nearly done that caused her to hesitate. 

She was still upset with Sheriff Joaquim, though she could understand his decision to keep her in the dark and at a distance. Even a rookie would know she was too close to the people involved to act impartially. She understood  _ why _ Bogo had sent her to Bunnyburrow, even if it had backfired spectacularly; maybe she’d have been in a better place if she hadn’t been muzzle-to-muzzle with Harry every working day. Nobody was to blame for that but Harry and his lawyer.

She was alternating between disappointed in and furious with Dolores, depending on what she learned about the circumstances of Harry’s escape. She knew first paw how suave and convincing the buck could be, so she understood the attraction. However Dolores was a fellow cop, and Judy expected her to recognize... 

She choked on the steering wheel. There it was; Harry had used another doe, a fellow officer and now another mammal was dead. Was there more Judy could have said? Could she have convinced Dolores, when it took Nick dragging Harry’s crimes into the light of day to convince  _ her _ ? Harry was both insidious and manipulative. While she felt disappointment at Dolores’ willingness to ignore the evidence, she could understand being sucked in by his lies.

Mandy put a paw on her shoulder. “Are you ready Judy?”

The doe saw Mandy’s wary but hopeful look while Nick sat expectantly in the back seat. The look on his muzzle was that of complete faith in her. For the first time, she felt slightly intimidated. Not by Nick, but by the responsibility of living up to his expectation. After their defeat of Bellwether’s plot and his graduation from the academy, she had always felt she had lived up to her own expectations. She’d achieved her dream, and was now making Zootopia and the world a better place. Now, after months of stress and second guessing herself and her intuition, here she sat with her best friends waiting for  _ her _ to make the call.

She smiled at them both, then shut the truck off and headed inside. The Sheriff had apparently activated all the reserve deputies and volunteers, because every desk was filled with rabbits on hard-line phones. It looked and sounded a bit like the switchboard scenes from the old movies her Pop-pop Otto liked to watch. Ears shot up when the three of them walked in.

A dark brown buck in Dungrrrees looked over his shoulder. “Cindy! She’s here.”

“Blessed fruit of the Trees!” Cindy Lopearty, a dowdy white and black doe rushed out of one of the back offices towards them. Judy was ready to speak when Cindy brushed past her and seized Mandy’s paw. “We’re trying to get the old fax machine and Dot-matrix printer to work, but they’re older than my dad’s truck.  _ Please _ tell me you can breathe some life into them? County Offices are trying to get a roll call and, well...” she waved helplessly at the bedlam surrounding them.

Mandy smiled at Nick and Judy. “You two check in with Salvaje. I have some electronic necromancy to perform.” She and Cindy headed back to the machines. Nick rested a paw on Judy’s shoulder and nodded. They both headed to the Sheriff’s office.

Joaquim looked up from his reams of paper, then nodded to the chairs facing him. “Close the door if you would, please.” He sorted his pile as they sat down. “I know you’ve both heard all the rumors floating around. Now we could pick at the weeds, but I’ll get straight to the harvest. Yes, Harry escaped on the Night of Foxfire. Yes, Oslo Brahmas is dead by one of his poison darts. Yes, Dolores helped him. No, she didn’t go with him.” He watched as Nick tensed beside Judy, while the doe wrestled with her emotions. He was relieved when she settled on blank professionalism. 

“Has she filled us in on where he went?” Her tone was flat, but there was an undercurrent of anger there.

Joaquim pursed his lips. “South. That’s all she said, and  _ I _ believe that it’s all she knows.” He watched as she gritted her teeth, then nodded. He noted the relieved look on Nick’s muzzle. “That said, this is a very embarrassing situation for the County. I’m certain it’s only a matter of time until Zootopia comes back online, and questions  _ will _ be asked about Mr. Rhoades. Judy,” she perked in her seat, “I need you and Nick to hunt Harry down and bring him back here. Do you think you can do that?”

Judy stared dumbly for a moment. Were it any other mammal on the planet, she wouldn’t even hesitate to say ‘yes’. As for her ex... She felt numb. If she thought about it, she could see herself either hauling him back in chains or leaving his broken form in a ditch for the crows; that scared her. She was startled slightly as Nick put a comforting paw on her shoulder.

She smiled weakly, then turned to the Sheriff. “ _ I _ can’t sir, but we can.”

Joaquim leaned back in his chair in relief. Nick or Judy alone tended to be unpredictable; he for his Puckish nature, and she for her almost fanatic dedication to ‘doing right’, as opposed to following the law. Together however, they had more than once put veteran Deputies to shame with their dedication to the cause of the Law and of Justice. “Very well. We’ll set you up with whatever you need. Once you have your gear together, take the cruiser and head out.”

Nick and Judy stared for a moment before saluting and heading out. Nick glanced at his partner as they walked. “Did we just get assigned to run down your ex?”

Judy snorted. “Might want to rephrase that thought Slick, cause it’s a  _ real _ tempting option.”

They were climbing in the truck when Mandy came out. “Hey guys, could you give me a ride and drop me off at the warren? I’ve almost got this set up, but the printer head is toast. Eugene has the same model in his office.”

“Sure.” Judy started the truck. “We’re heading there anyway to get supplies and attach the trailer hitch.”

Nick looked oddly at Judy. “Why would we need the hitch? There’s plenty of room for the gear and as much gas as we’d need.”

“We won’t be driving any farther south than Foundation Cross.” Judy didn’t bother looking away from the road. “We’ll be riding after that.”

Mandy looked back and forth in confusion, while Nick started shaking his head. “Oh, no. Nononono, I am  _ not _ getting on one of your family's Super-Birds! That big hen Saddie tried to peck my head off the last time I got near her.”

Judy chuckled. “That’s because she was getting broody with the full nest. The chicks are hatched, so you should be fine.”

“Um, guys? Where are you going?” 

Nick glanced between Judy and Mandy. “South; Sheriff Salvaje wants us to retrieve our wayward murderer. And we will,” he pointed at his partner, “ _ in the truck! _ ”

Judy absently batted the offending digit aside. “We have no idea how far Harry’s gone with his lead, so we can’t know we’ll have enough gas. The Emu’s don’t need gas, they’re plenty strong enough to carry us and any kit we’d bring, as well as his sorry hide once we catch up with him.”

Mandy pinched her eyes closed and waved in the air. “The Sheriff is sending  _ you two? _ ”

Judy glanced in the mirror, her brows furrowed. “I know the arguments against it, but Nick will be there to keep me honest.”

Nick’s ears flagged as Mandy looked in concern at her mate. He reached back to take her paw, which was squeezed in fear. “Alright, but for how long? And how are you going to keep in contact?”

Nick whimpered slightly. “We don’t know, and we don’t know.” He turned to face the road without letting Mandy’s paw go. “All we know is Harry’s on the loose, and there’s no telling how many mammals he’ll hurt between now and whenever we catch him.”

The trio were silent for the remainder of the ride to the warren. Judy smiled at her friends as she got out of the truck. “I’ll get started on wrangling our supplies. You two take your time.”

The two foxes nuzzled for a few moments, then unbuckled and joined Judy. “No, I’ll feel better if I help get you two set up for your trip.” Mandy didn’t let Nick’s paw go as they headed inside.

The three made their way through the warren as Judy collected the various pieces of camping gear they’d need. They were about to head out to the stables when a small commotion drew their attention. They looked into one of the common rooms to find a fluffle huddled around a pile of electronic gear.

“Hey Doc,” Judy called to her cousin Donald, “what’s up?”

The lanky grey buck glanced behind him with a grin. “Walter got his ammateure radio put back together. He’s been talking with a couple of other stations outside the county.” Everyone looked appreciatively at the collection of electronic boxes surrounding a slight brown buck with glasses, a stuffed carrot plush and a radio headset. “Apparently, the big news in HAM circles, other than the obvious, is a  _ huge  _ spike in activity on the Numbers Stations.”

Mandy chuckled and grinned at Nick. “Too bad you don’t have a portable shortwave set up. You could keep in contact from just about anywhere on the hemisphere.”

“Pop-Pop still has his old field radio from his Territorial Guard days,” Walter commented without looking away from his set up. “As long as it has enough juice, and you have your transmission angles right, it should be up to the task.”

The three officers looked at one another before rushing out the door. Judy stuck her head back inside for a moment. “Thanks Radar!” She then led her friends in search of her grandfather Otto “Pop-Pop” Hopps. 

The elderly buck rummaged in the back of his room. “It’s goin on 50 years since I was on the Territorial Border Guard.” He stood up with a series of green boxes strapped to a carrying frame. “That was the last time those  _ Salvaje _ tribes tried to push across the isthmus.”

The foxes glanced at one another, while Judy’s ears perked up. “Uh, Pop-Pop,” the old buck looked at his granddaughter, “ _ Salvaje _ Tribes?”

“Ayup. Some that made it across, we ended up civilizing. They kept the tribe name as their own.”

Nick blinked. “So Sheriff Salvaje--”

“Is descended from those beasts.” He stepped aside as Mandy came over to inspect the radio. He was about to comment when she started to very professionally examine and function check the radio. “Well well; seems one of you knows their way around HERDSMAM Radio set.”

“My uncle works for K9AVU as an electrical engineer.” She commented absently while grimacing at one frayed wire bundle. “I grew up around this kind of kit as a kit. Does anyone in the warren have a replacement for this wire set? There’s a lot of dry-rot on the insulator cladding.”

Otto frowned at the antique. “Maybe Walter has somethin, but makin it work with this old girl?” He shook his head.

Nick chuckled as he walked over and hoisted the radio set up. “Well  _ this _ girl,” he nodded to Mandy, “just finished getting a Cowmadore 64 and a Dot-Matrix printer to talk with Moo-Bell’s 4-G network; didn’t need to sacrifice a chicken or anything.”

Pop-Pop stared at Nick for a moment before all but collapsing in laughter. “Well you may still need to if you’re going out in the field. Hey Red,” Nick paused and looked back while Mandy and Judy went back to Radar’s room, “if you try coming back from down South without her,  _ don’t _ .”

Nick was under no illusion who he meant. “I’ll either come back with them both, or die right beside them. No inbetween.”

While Nick was with the elderly buck, Mandy and Judy were making their way back through the warren. “You really think you can bring that beast back to life?”

Mandy snorted, though her tail twitched nervously. “Resurrecting it won’t be an issue. These machines are meant to be easily repaired. It’s going to be keeping it running and transmitting correctly; that’s the real issue.”

Judy frowned slightly. “Multiplication jokes aside, geometry and electrical engineering aren’t my strong suits. Nick’s good at faking expertise when he needs to make a mammalian connection, but...”

“But you’re going to need someone with real skill with electronics to keep you in touch.”

Judy and Mandy slowed to a stop outside her cousin’s radio room. “Harry’s a killer, Mandy. I can’t guarantee Nick and I will make it back; if you come along--”

Mandy put a paw on the doe’s shoulder. “Then at least the world will know where to send the troops to deal with the mangy little bastard. Besides,” she gave a wry grin, “I need to watch out for my bunny!”

They both chuckled. “Joaquim’s not gonna like it, but I think we can convince him. Let’s see if my cousin’s got what we need.”

Nick caught up with Mandy and Judy at Radar’s room. Judy was standing back as the vixen and buck rummaged in his supplies for lengths of wire. 

“Any progress?”

“Some.” Judy said, then gestured at Mandy absently. “She wants to come with us.” 

Nick’s tail froze. “She… does?” 

Judy nodded. “She makes a good point about us needing her along.”

His face stayed carefully blank for another few seconds before his tail resumed its lazy wag. “Well, I don’t doubt it; she always gets this starry look in her eyes when we talk about our more...  _ adventurous _ cases.”

“Nick! Bring it over; I think we’ve got a wire bundle that will work.” Nick headed over at his vixen’s call.

Judy smiled as she watched her friends and family work to bring the old radio back to life. Whatever concerns she felt at having a third mammal on their trek, she knew Mandy could carry her own harvest. Having the vixen along could only improve their chances in the long run. Judy would figure some way to convince the Sheriff to let her come.

...

Harry groggily opened his eyes. He stared dumbly through spiderwebbed glass; everything felt off, as if the world were sideways. He shook his head and instantly regretted it as stars flashed in his vision for a few seconds. He fumbled with the seatbelt for a few moments before it finally let go, and he tumbled sideways over the truck’s center console to land in a heap on the passenger side door.

He slowly roused as the night time chill seeped into the car. He could see the everpresent Foxfire swirling through the driver’s side window. The last thing he remembered was descending the far side of the mountains that made up the isthmus, then white and vertigo. 

He shakily stood up and climbed into the rear of the truck where all of his supplies were. One of the Jerry-cans of gas had landed on his supply of food. Several of the water bottles had burst, and a bunch of his granola-protein bars had been squashed. The sight both nauseated him and stirred his growing hunger. Hunger won out and he scooped up pawfulls of the slurry and ate what he could. Once he was sated, he rummaged for the camping supplies he’d valorized from the last town he’d passed through. A corner of the blanket was soaked by the burst water bottles, but he was too exhausted to care.

Dawn roused him from a fitful sleep. Moving didn’t cause him to see stars anymore, but his ears were ringing fiercely. It didn’t matter; he’d already lost too much time. He excavated what supplies he could, though he couldn’t stomach the thought of the now day-old protein and granola mush. Thankfully, none of the artifacts had come out worse for wear. The wreck had nearly knocked out the rear windshield, so he chose to finish the job rather than climb out through the open driver’s side window. 

Harry considered his options while looking around the alpine shrublands. He needed all of his supplies, but there was no way he’d be able to shoulder all of it. He looked back at Dolores’ deathtrap of a truck and scoffed. “Trust a doe to have a four wheeler that can’t go off road.” Looking down at the dislodged rear windshield, an idea started to form. Half an hour later he had his supplies piled onto the window, while he fashioned a harness out of a set of nylon cargo straps.

Harry reassembled the Staff and thumped it on the ground. Once the Eye settled on a direction, he set off towards his destiny dragging his supplies behind him.


End file.
